


The Roles We Play

by Syrinth



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel Loves Dean Winchester, Crowley is a Little Shit, Dean Winchester Loves Castiel, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, First Kiss, Friendship, Kevin Ships It, M/M, Roleplay, Sam Ships It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-26
Packaged: 2018-10-29 00:08:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10842348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syrinth/pseuds/Syrinth
Summary: When Kevin discovers that there is a new edition of Dungeons and Dragons, he forces the boys, Castiel, and Crowley to play a game with him. Dean finds himself liking the game far more than he cares to admit, and, with the layer of role play between them, starts to let himself express some of his feelings for newly human Castiel.





	1. Dungeons and What?!

Ancient symbols with vague meanings was all that Kevin could see. Every night, as he closed his eyes to sleep, he saw them, their imagery twisting and writhing in his mind. Sleep had been all but impossible for the last few days. The angel tablet was... difficult. Unlike the Demon Tablet, this one seemed to almost be fighting him, like some kind of cursed relic. The stone was heavy in his hand, almost as if it was mocking him. He squinted his eyes, glaring at the thing and trying to will it into submission. For a split second, he thought he saw the impression of words blaze themselves into his mind before they faded, leaving a painful, searing echo of thought.

He sighed, and his eyes darted to the laptop beside him, tabs opened to various bulletin boards and social media sites. Tumblr, Reddit, Facebook... He needed to take some time to relax, shake off the pain of the indecipherable words in his skull.

As he clicked through Reddit, he came across a new thread title in /r/DnD that caught his attention. He sat up straighter, leaning into the screen with excitement as he read the thread. A new edition of DnD was being released, and the rules had just been put online for public play testing. That was new, usually players had to buy the books. Out of curiosity, he clicked the link, scanning over people's comments. They all seemed ecstatic.

"Oh man." he shifted in his seat, excited. He couldn't remember the last time he'd played. Way before the Leviathans, when his life had merely been a normal Hell, he'd had to stop to spend more time studying. He could still remember the games he'd played with his friends, and his first character, a Gnome wizard named Melkor. When he'd first learned that demons and magic existed he'd been excited. Well, actually he'd been terrified, but when he'd had the time to adjust, he'd been excited. For a while, he'd imagined becoming a powerful sorcerer. He could still remember his disappointment when he realized how magic actually worked. It wasn't anything like it should be. Honestly, at this point, he'd love a fire-and-forget system, but it seems that God had decided magic should work with strange reagents that barely made sense, and he'd just had to accept it. Life was unfair.

He looked around quickly, eyes darting up from the screen and down the corridors of the bunker. His ears strained to hear any sound of movement. Sam and Dean had left to find Castiel, and Kevin didn't expect to see either of them for several more hours. Despite that, he was nervous, the brothers had a way of showing up whenever he decided he needed a break.

His eyes tracked back to the webpage before resting on the Angel Tablet. He paused, his body was tense. He swore that he could feel it glaring at him, wreathed in malicious intent as the symbols once more began twisting in front of his eyes, daring him to try to understand.

"To Hell with this." He clicked the link to download the PDF and drummed his fingers impatiently on the table as the computer worked, eyes steadfastly attached to the screen, not risking another look at the damned tablet. If he did that, it might get him.

With a ping, the download finished and he opened it impatiently. His eyes glazed as he took in the updated rules, mind sinking into gamer space as his finger idly scrolled down the illustrated document. For the first time in over a year, he began to feel like himself again. His imagination sparked, stories of games they could play unfurling in his mind. Almost without thinking, he reached out for a pencil and pad of paper and began scribbling down a story idea involving knights, dragons, and a plot to end the world.

After a minute of intense scribbling, he caught himself. He looked down, considering who he'd be playing with, following the twisting and turning plot in his mind and imagining Castiel and the Winchesters playing with him.

No, better start simpler than that.

"Orcs and princesses, can never go wrong." Kevin muttered to himself as he scratched out what he had written previously, and began writing down a much simpler story.

Yes. Much better.

* * *

Dean was relieved to get back to the bunker. He could the weight lifting off of his shoulders. Since they'd grabbed Cas and hauled ass out of Emery, Dean could swear he'd felt the pricking of angels watching out for them. Just one had been more than enough to kill Cas and he did not need to repeat that. The image of his dead body was still seared into his mind, as well as the surge of guilt.

Maybe if Dean had held firm, hadn't cast him out on Ezekiel's whims, then none of this would have happened. Maybe everything would have been fine.He knew, though, that it was worthless to chase what-ifs like that.

They had driven nonstop out of Indiana, only stopping at a Gas'n'Gulp a few miles away from the bunker when Sam had started complaining about food. They'd paused just long enough to get some necessities, soups, hot dogs, and a pie that had been just sitting there all pretty, calling out his name.

"Hey, Kevin! We got food!" He announced, slamming the door closed with his feet, hands overloaded with groceries.

Silence. Only the sound of their boots stomping through the bunker echoed back at them. That wasn't good.

"Kevin?" Dean called again. More silence. He looked over his shoulder, catching Sam's eye. Sam nodded, hand creeping down his body to retrieve his pistol. Dean moved to draw his own weapon, struggling briefly with the load in his hands before turning to Cas.

"Cas, hold these." Dean passed the bags over, and Cas huffed slightly. Dean frowned, Brow creasing in surprise. He gave Cas a once over as the ex-Angel staggered slightly under the load. It had only been a day, but Dean had noticed a marked difference in Cas. He seemed less sure of himself, less confident of his body.

It made sense, he supposed, since it was now completely his body, human, with all the weaknesses attached. Dean pushed the thought away, hoping that Cas wasn't going to have his first fight as a human. He drew his gun, and moved closer to the former angel, putting his body directly in front of him.

"Dean, I thought you said the bunker was safe?" Cas was right behind him, breath hot against his neck. Dean gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to lean back into the other man. Even as a human, apparently, he didn't get that whole personal space thing. He centred himself, and sighted down the gun as they moved forwards, checking for targets.

"It is. He's probably just... in the toilet, or something." _Not too likely_ , he thought, What are the chances that Kevin would choose now to be in the can.

"Of course. That makes sense. It is a rather difficult process..." Castiel turned his face away, blue eyes distant, thinking about his trials with humanity. He must be having a hard time adjusting to the more mundane facts of humanity. That was something Dean hadn't considered. Being pulled into a fully grown human body and expecting to just cope probably sucked. It was bad enough going through it. Having to adapt to the bathroom, eating, not to mention morning wood...

Nope, he forcibly brought his mind away from that train of thought. Ahead of him Sam was looking at him questioningly. Dean shrugged, narrowing his eyes and shaking his head in a "don't ask." He certainly wasn't going to tell.

"Kevin?!" He tried again, pitching his voice louder. They crept forward slowly, unease creeping over them. Dean was running through the layout of the bunker in his mind, thinking of potential weak places that an angel could have broken through, or maybe where Kevin could be hiding if something went wrong.

The silence stretched out in front of them. Just the echoing sounds of their footsteps and- Wait, what was that? Dean reached out and grabbed Sam by the shoulder, pulling him to a stop. He cocked his head to the side, tilting it towards the noise. There, a faint, rhythmic scratching sound, almost like pencil against paper... or claws gently skittering across stone.

They followed the sound, until the library was just ahead of them. The scratching was clearly audible echoing down the hall, as well as the hurried ruffling of papers. Dean and Sam looked at each other and nodded, Sam holding his fingers up and counting down. Behind him, he heard Cas shuffle nervously, still unsure of himself. He still held tight onto his groceries. He smiled, and Cas smiled back, a flicker of warmth on his face that made Dean's heart thud just a bit harder in his chest.

The last finger dropped, and they surged forward into the room. Their guns swept over the centre, then searched the corners for hostile targets but found nothing. Unconcerned, not even noticing the intrusion, was Kevin.

He was sitting right where he had been when they left, scribbling furiously on a paper. His head was down, entirely focused on and he wrote with a zeal that Dean hadn't seen in him for a while. He paused, as if trying to think of something, before continuing. Scattered all around him were sheafs of paper covered in writing and what looked like drawings.

"Oh for-" Dean holstered his gun and strode up behind him. He took a breath and shouted in his ear. "KEVIN!"

He jumped in his seat, hand spasming out in shock and pencil clattering against the table. He looked up, blinking owlishly, seemingly confused by Dean's presence.

"Oh, hey guys. You're back already!" He offered them a warm, but still confused smile, eyes tracking between them and Cas.

"Already?" Dean turned to look back at Cas, "Kevin, we've been gone for a day." Dean put away his gun and looked at him worriedly. He turned and grabbed one of the bags from Cas, who was starting to sag under their collected weight. They stood there for a moment, fingers brushing as the bag changed hands.

"Looks like you've cracked something big on the tablet." Sam said, drawing close to the table. Dean coughed, breaking eye contact and turned away from Cas. 

"What's up?" Dean asked. Sam looked incredibly confused.

"I'm not sure what I'm looking at..." Sam shuffled the papers around while Dean peered over his shoulder.

They were covered in notes, it looked like tables, and even drawings. One of the papers was even a careful, but crudely, drawn map. There were rivers, forests and even cities but none of the names seemed were familiar.

"Uh, Kevin." Sam flashed a frustrated smile at the prophet. "What is this?"

"What?" Kevin looked up from where he'd been writing, noticing Sam's hovering for the first time. "Oh shit! Put that down!" Sam dropped it in shock, hand opening reflexively. The map fluttered back to the table, where Kevin grabbed it and flipped it upside down, covering it with several other papers before pausing and then adding a book to the pile.

"Kevin...? What's going on?" Dean grabbed a paper at random, "This is Angel Tablet stuff, right?" His eyes danced over the paper briefly, Wizard, Warrior... Town of Greyhearth... "This is not Angel Tablet stuff. Kev-What are you doing?"

"Um..." Kevin seemed to shrink into himself as the brothers stood over him. "Look, I just... I got an idea for a DnD campaign, and I haven't done one in so long... The idea wasn't leaving my head so I just needed to get it down on paper." He looked around sheepishly. "I guess I might have gotten a bit carried away though." He amended.

"A what?"

"It's a game Dean." He turned in shock to see Cas standing behind him, looking curiously at the papers on the desks. "I heard one of the men talking about it at the shelter. Apparently, his son plays it with his friends on the weekends. I'm given to understand it's quite a good social activity among young males, although I don't understand the importance of their virginity." He continued thoughtfully.

Dean couldn't help it, he was staring now, although this time it was out of confusion. After a moment, Cas broke away. "I had better put these away. I've never known natural hunger, Dean, but I'm starving." He reached out and retrieved the grocery bag Dean was holding, pulling it from unresisting fingers. Dean had to fight the urge to follow him down the corridor. Lately, it seems that something terrible happens to Cas every time he leaves his vision.

"OK, so... Cas is apparently an expert on nerds and you're, what, writing out the plot for Moondoor now?" Dean dragged his eyes away from Cas' retreating form, ignoring the smug, knowing look on Sam's face as he watched him. "Look, Kevin, we really need this tablet decoded."

Kevin sighed, running one hand through his hair in frustration. He looked down at the mess of papers before meeting Dean's eyes. "Look, guys... I just... I need a break, OK?" His eyes were pleading. Dean could feel it in his stance and voice just how much he needed this.

Sam put one hand on the desk, leaning down. "Kevin-" he began.

"No, Sam!" Kevin snapped, cutting him off. Sam reared back as if he'd been slapped. "You don't get it. I. Need. A. Break. I know that this-" He gestured angrily at the tablet. "Is important, but it's... It's too much right now. Just give me some time to do this, and then I promise I'll get right back on it." His momentary anger suddenly melted, the fires of rage smothered in an unfamiliar hearth. He looked up at them worriedly, almost as if he expected them to hit him or something. "OK?" He asked, voice soft. Christ.

Dean pushed his face into his hands, taking a deep breath. The kid needed a break, that was obvious but... what was this going to cost them? What was it going to cost Cas? How long could the ex-angel afford to stay human?

 _OK, Let's think pros and cons._ He thought to himself. _Pro, tablet decoded, Con, insane prophet. Yeah, alright._

"OK, man. Whatever you need." They owed him this much after all the crap they'd put him through.

Kevin's face lit up. Sam caught Dean's eyes for a moment, confused before understand dawned on him. He nodded, a small shake of his head as he eased himself into a chair.

"Really?" His eyes darted between the brother's faces, eyes looking for the trick. "Wait, you're not demons again right?" Dean was only half sure that he was joking.

Sam smiled. "No, we just know you've... Had a difficult time lately. We have too. Look, whatever you need to relax for a bit, right? I think we can all use a break." Sam shot Dean an encouraging look, eyes flicking towards the hallway as Cas reappeared.

"Sure, why not. Thanks, man." Dean said, taking one of the beers that Cas had brought from the kitchen. He popped the cap and took a deep drink, savouring the chill of the bottle. Cas passed Kevin and Sam a beer as well before sitting in the chair beside him. Dean watched the angel pop the top and take a long drink. It was weird, seeing him act human. He looked tired, his shoulders were slumped, and his eyes had dark circles. Humanity was kicking his ass.

"Great" Kevin pulled several of the papers towards him in excitement. "Man, I haven't run a game in a while. I can't wait to play with you guys."

Dean nodded absent-mindedly, still watching Cas before the words caught up with him. He snorted, choking on his beer. "Wait, what?"

Sam smiled, a brief flash of amusement and shared horror at Dean. "Uh, Kevin. We don't know how to play." Dean nodded, shaking his head vigorously. "We've never played befo-"

"What," Kevin deadpanned, "You're too cool to play DnD but you'll LARP in Moondoor?" Dean flushed in embarrassment. He'd never admit it, but that HAD been pretty fun. He coughed, clearing his throat before putting on his serious face.

"OK, first off, how do you know about that. Secondly, those are two totally different things. Moondoor had swords, and... armour. This is what?" He groped in his memory, trying to remember what he'd seen on TV. "A bunch of dorks sitting around a table rolling dice all night? Where's the fun there? At least in Moondoor I got to beat a guy with a foam sword."

_Man, that had been fun._

Kevin rolled his eyes, snorting. He looked like he was going to say something before he was cut off by Cas. "I would like to play. It could be fun." Dean turned, looking disbelievingly at the man. He took another deep drink of beer, as if to settle his nerves for admitting something unpopular. Dean's eyes fixed on the bob of his Adam's Apple as he fought with himself. "Games are a human thing that have fascinated me. I've never had occasion to indulge in such activities." That sealed it then.

"Really? Angels don't have games?"

The former angel nodded, face turning stern. "I've told you before Dean, I was a warrior of God, created to serve. Games weren't a priority."

"No wonder they're all dicks then if they can't have any fun."

This whole thing was dumb but Dean had to admit that Moondoor had been fun. And Cas was there, looking like a wounded animal. And Sam was watching him too, an expectant look on his face, his eyes shifting between him and Cas. He could almost feel Sam urging him on. He sighed deeply before shrugging, and turned to face Cas full-on. "All right. All right, fine. We'll play."

Cas sat back, smiling, and Dean internally high-fived himself for making the right choice. Dean hadn't seen that look on his face in a while. He traced the smile on the other man's face with his eyes, memorizing the look of it and putting it away for later. With him back home, he hoped he'd get him to smile like that again.

"Great," Kevin was also enthused. "now that that's settled. I'll finish up, then we can get going. I've already made characters for you three so it shouldn't be much longer, I just need to finish Crowley's character."

"No, that one isn't happening." He pointed a finger warningly. "For all kinds of reasons."

"Yeah, Kev, he's in solitary for a reason. I mean, we're not going to take him out, just because-"

"Yeah, like I'm going to let that dickhead out of solitary for a game." Kevin rolled his eyes. "He's got a desk in there, so we're joining him."

"Kevin, what exactly makes you think this is a good idea." Cas said, "He is the King of Hell. I don't think his demeanour would make for a pleasant experience."

Dean threw his hand up, pointing to Cas in agreement. "That-that is a good point Cas. He's just going to spoil everybody's fun!" Dean grinned wide in desperation. "That's what we want, right? Fun?" DnD was bad enough, but playing with that douche bag? Had Kevin lost his mind since they'd been gone?

Kevin stood up suddenly, eyes open wide in annoyance. Dean could almost feel the heat wash over him as pushed his chair backwards in alarm, skittering closer to Cas. "We are going to play a game. You, Sam, Castiel and Crowley are all going to play together and the second Crowley steps out of line, I'm going to screw with him. Since you've already made it clear that I can't touch him, this is the closest I can get to revenge and if he provokes me when I am as as god I am going to take it. Are we clear?" His narrowed eyes found Dean's, then Sam's.

"Uh, sure Kev." Sam relented. "Just, uh, let us know when you're ready and we'll go pay Crowley a visit."

* * *

When Kevin was ready, they all grouped together and headed down to the dungeon. Dean had been enjoying the past few days without the demon in his life, but Kevin had clearly made up his mind. Didn't mean he had to like it though, there was no way that this wasn't going to bite them all in the ass. He gritted his teeth, telling himself that he was doing this for Cas and Kevin before pushing the doors open. There was nothing but darkness beyond.

"Hello, boys." Crowley's rough voice crept out from the shadows, slinking down Dean's spine like a demon in it's own right. "So tell me, what dire emergency brings you knocking on my lovely door? Need more names? Some strategy perhaps?" His tone was biting, Dean laughed, a soft huff of noise as he flicked the lights on. He walked into the room with another chair and slammed it down on the floor, leaning heavily on it as he stared down at the bound demon. Crowley met his eyes, unblinking, as he leaned in closer. The chains on his wrists clanked against the metal of the table, a reminder of just what had brought them here. Dean smiled, a bright, toothy grin.

"You're joining us for a game."

"Oh, how delightful." His face was impassive, bored almost. "Poker? Uno?" He grinned, looking deeply into Dean's eyes "Old Maid?"

"Nope, Dungeons and Dragons." Sam said, coming in and placing another chair beside Dean's. Cas followed closely behind him, carrying another chair, and a large, purple bag of dice that Kevin had pulled out of somewhere, Dean hadn't asked. Castiel brushed past Dean, their shoulders briefly touching as he put his chair at one end of the table, putting himself beside both Crowley and Dean. Cas' face was tight, focused, a look which brought him back to when they'd first met. Cas had been an angel on a mission then, and it looked like, for the moment at least, he'd found a new one. Maybe he had. His time as a human so far had been pretty crappy, maybe his new mission was to forget what had happened, to forget being homeless, to forget having died. If so, Dean could definitely sympathize.

Cas looked up at him then, the stern face fading, becoming calm, even happy. "I believe we're just about ready to go, Dean. I'm looking forward to this." He divulged.

Crowley sat there stunned, the sheer absurdity of his situation rendering him speechless. "I'm sorry, Moose, I think all this isolation has been affecting me." He rested his chin in his palm, giving Sam his full and unwavering attention. "We're doing what?"

"You heard right Crowley," Kevin said as he entered. The kid seemed better since they'd agreed to play, more lively than they'd seen him for weeks. Hell, the kid was smiling and that was a rare enough sight. Dean was starting to come around on this 'take a load off' idea.

Kevin place the last chair at the head of the table and sat down, settling in and getting ready to start the show. Apparently, setting up involved a large screen made of paper. "It's a DM screen," he explained at Dean's confused expression. "So you can't see my notes, or what I'm looking at. I used to have a cool one my friends got for me. It had a huge dragon on the front, and an Elven sorceress on the side with the lowest cut-" He paused, embarrassed. "But hey, you make do with what you have." He gestured at his handiwork. From what Dean could see, it was made of scraps of cardboard, duct tape, and printed fantasy images from a google search. Whatever makes the kid happy.

"OK, so I've-" Kevin started, as Dean scraped his chair noisily across the floor, pulling it closer to the table. He shot a withering glare at Dean before continuing. "So, I've made some characters for everyone. I thought it would be best to skip that step so that we can get right into the game." He was smiling with an almost desperate look at the people sitting around him. Dean took pity on him and smiled back. "J-just some basic templates, all you have to do is choose one and name them and make any changes that you'd like." He explained, passing out a few papers. "Everything you need is right there on the paper. Your skills, proficiencies, spells and any attacks or weapons you...might...have..." He trailed off as the four men turned to look at him, incomprehension already written plainly across their faces.

After a brief pause, Castiel broke the silence, looking at the character sheets dubiously. "There are spells on these papers? That seems unsafe."

Dean laughed, shaking his head as Kevin looked at the group appraisingly, face quickly colouring.

"OK," He began, "let's uh... Let's start from the beginning." Kevin reached to the side and pulled out a thick hardcover book, flipping through the pages quickly. Inwardly, Dean groaned, bracing himself for the oncoming nerdity,

* * *

"OK, so everyone has the basics, right?" Kevin asked a half hour later. Dean smirked and took a pull from his beer. He had to admit, that hadn't been the worst thing ever. He'd always assumed that they'd be next level nerd stuff, but it all made sense. That hadn't stopped Sam and him from asking increasingly trivial and useless questions, just to get a rise out of Kevin. Dean thought that it was only fair play, if Kevin was going to force them to play with him, they were going to make sure that they had their own brand of fun too.

Despite himself, and he never would have thought it, Dean was intrigued. Looking at the pdf, he'd found himself thinking of all the fantasy stories and TV shows he'd read; first imagining himself as Aragorn, then Achilles or Ned Stark. Being Ned Stark, though, would suck, that guy got shafted almost as bad as they'd been. He looked at the character sheet in his hands, reading over the name that he'd chosen James Truearm. The second Kevin had laid down the sheets, Dean had snatched up the pile, to Sam's frustration. He had rifled through them, looking for someone tough. He barely tolerated dealing with magic on the best of days, having to play a wizard didn't exactly appeal to him. Thankfully, the third sheet was lablled fighter, and he'd grabbed it without hesitating.

Beside him, Sam was double-checking his character sheet, brow furrowed in concentration as he looked at the pages. Every few seconds, he'd scroll to a new section of the PDF with the game rules and compare something against his sheet. Apparently, being a wizard took effort. He was happy with just hitting them with the sharp end of a sword. Across the table from them, Crowley was looking incredibly bored, idly rolling a die between his fingers. He'd grabbed the first character sheet he'd seen, barely taking the time to read it before calling it acceptable.

He leaned over in his seat, making to talk to Cas, but strained his neck just a bit to sneak a look at just what Crowley had deemed acceptable. As he moved, Crowley's hand did too, covering the text of the paper. The demon smiled sweetly at him, shaking his head in admonishment. Rolling his eyes, he turned his attention fully to Cas. Like Sam, he was concentrating on the paper in front of him but seemed lost in thought. He looked better, less tense as he stared off into space. Something warm stirred in his belly at the sight of Cas alive and well, focusing so hard on a game. He still couldn't believe that angels didn't play games at all.

"Hey Cas, you following all this?" Out of all of them, Cas had asked the most questions, genuine ones even. He seemed to have struggled with the concept of role-playing. Also, he apparently got stuck playing the cleric and the thought of playing someone who believed in, as he had put it, 'false gods', seemed difficult to grasp until Kevin had explained that in this world, these gods were real and even answered the prayers of their most devoted followers. An awkward silence had fallen after that, as Cas went quiet for a few minutes before asking his next question.

"Yes, Dean," he replied. " I believe I have grasped the rules and the meanings now." He brushed a finger across the paper, eyes distant. "I think I'll enjoy calling on my god and having him answer, even if only in a game." Dean's heart tightened, his knuckles clenching in frustration. Seeing Cas hurt over a deadbeat dad was something he knew all too well. Without quite realizing he was doing it, he reached out for him, placing his hand on his knee.

"Hey, man..."

"Yes, how touching that the angel is getting his wings back. Can we please get this farce going?" Crowley interrupted, voice sharp and eyes narrowed in frustration. Whatever emotion Dean had been feeling changed, turning into black rage at Crowley's harsh words.

His eyes snapped up, locking with the demon's. "What, I would have thought that you would be all for this. Weren't people saying this game was the Devil's game a few years ago?"

"Dean, come on-" Sam began, but Castiel spoke up and over him "It was faeries, actually." His eyes didn't leave the document he'd taken from Sam, eyes flicking over the miracles he'd be able to perform.

"What." The three men said, stunned into silence.

Castiel looked up in surprise. "You didn't know? When the whole 'demonic game' craze began" he said, emphasizing the words, "We looked into it. I believe Zachariah sent Raziel to investigate. The furor the faithful were making had led us to believe that this game was some kind of demonic master plan." He laughed then, eyes crinkling. "You can imagine our relief when we found them to be so misguided. Although I admit that we were somewhat dismayed about how easily they could be swayed. Faeries." He concluded with a wry shake of his head.

Sam threw out a hand, "Wait, you-"

"Guys!" Kevin said, standing up, slamming his hands palm first onto the table. "The game? I know Crowley is raring to get this over with but I'd like to start sometime too."

"Oh, right. Sorry." Sam said, looking sheepish.

"Don't know why anyone would think it's our game." Crowley muttered under his breath."We're all playing bloody heroes in case no one's noticed..."

"Crowley!" Dean reprimanded, seeing the look of agitation on Kevin's face. The King of Hell looked up, defiance flashing in his red eyes before stilling, and looking away. Dean held his gaze there, fixed on Crowley for several more seconds before turning to Kevin. "Alright man, let's get this show on the road." He reached down and grabbed another beer, proffering it to Kevin. The poor kid was probably going to need it before the night was out.


	2. The Game Begins

OK, the time had come. They were about to descend into pure nerdity, Dean held his breath as Kevin shuffled his papers nervously, before clearing his throat and pitching his voice low. Dean guessed that it was supposed to sound strong and important. It actually sounded ridiculous.

"We begin in a tavern," he began, "locally called the Whispering Dragon, in the city of Elsmere. The Dragon is well-known for being a place of ill-repute and skulduggery. It seems strange then, that the letters requesting your appearances all came from the hand of Lord Mountjoy himself, second only to Lord-Mayor Winthrop III in the city."

Dean laughed, joining in the chorus of snickers at Kevin's choice of names. For a moment, he felt bad, as Kevin looked up and glared around the table. His eyes moved angrily around the table before settling on Dean, who had been the loudest. He reddened in embarrassment at being singled out, "Nice names, Kev." Beside him, Castiel was sitting quietly, and unblinking, waiting for Kevin to continue. Another flash of shame swept though Dean, and he scolded himself. He had to try to help make this game good, not just for himself, but for Cas' first ever game. "Sorry."

Kevin smiled, a bit uncertain at Dean's apology, and continued. "You don't know the exact reason for the meeting, each of your notes only contained a plain missive, asking you to arrive at the Whispering Dragon at the appointed time. It says that Elsmere has need of you, and that you would be handsomely rewarded." He sat back in his chair, as he stopped reading. There was a weird, contended smile on his face as he looked at the Winchesters. "Sam, Dean, your characters have just arrived at the tavern. You have a good rapport with each other, having worked together in the past. What do you want to do?"

"What?" Dean asked, suddenly unsure of himself. He wouldn't mind running, if that was an option.

"Well, you're here, in the tavern. What do you want to do?" Kevin repeated, an edge of uncertainty in his voice. "This isn't a video game, remember, you're playing a character. What would James Truearm do when he arrived in a tavern?"

Dean exchanged a look with Sam, who shrugged and said. "I, uh, I guess I'll look around the room, see if I can find Lord Mountjoy?"

Kevin relaxed, and smiled encouragingly. "OK, that's great. Dean?"

"Hm? Oh, right." He tried to think of what Aragorn would do, before quickly discarding the thought. King of men he was not. "Well, we're in a tavern, right?" Kevin nodded. "Well then, if there's one thing James likes, it's beer. I go up to the bar and order a glass."

"Oooook." Kevin looked a bit disappointed with his choice, but damned if Dean would feel bad for it. He had to have seen that coming. "Sam," Kevin continued, "you do a scan of the room, and find that you cannot see Lord Mountjoy anywhere. There is, however, a shadowy figure in the corner of the room, watching you and James. His ample body is draped in a thick, black cloak that disguises his features. Beside him, there sits a- Crowley, what does your character look like?"

'Smallish, fattish, and baldish." Crowley intoned with the voice of a man contemplating death. He was still ignoring the others, rolling the die between his finger. Kevin narrowed his eyes at him and Dean saw his chest rise as he took in a steadying breath. Or maybe he was subconsciously puffing himself up, like some kind of owl. Who knew?

"What, no distinguishing features? Nothing interesting? You're not even going to try, are you?" He let out a breath in mock disappointment. "What's wrong Crowley? I thought you wanted some entertainment?"

The demon let out a long-suffering sigh and relented. "Fine then, a small man, with short black hair, and... Oh, let's say a dark red tattoo of a serpent coiled around his left arm." At Dean's confused expression, Crowley added "I saw that on a biker I made a deal with once, looked a bit tacky, but why not I suppose. Not a bad kisser either. Better?"

"Sure." Kevin said dismissively. Crowley sighed again, "Anyway, you see a man, with a red tattoo seated beside the cloaked figure, they do not seem to be talking currently."

"OK, well... I go over and introduce myself I suppose."

"Sure." Kevin made a motion with his hand, inviting Sam to continue. "Crowley, you see a man approach, Sam?"

Dean laughed, chin in his hands, watching the look of acute discomfort on his brother's face as he tried to get into character. His brows scrunched together like he was constipated and he had no idea what was happening with the way his lips were twitching.

"Um, hail and well met. I am, Arthur the... Astounding." Crowley scoffed. "I'm, uh... a young man with long red hair and uh... He wears a heavy grey robe and cloak, and leans on an... old walking stick."

"The man in the robes nods his head in greeting. Crowley?" 

"I grunt in response, barely looking up to acknowledge him."

"Right. OK, so Dean the ale of the tavern is very good, but not the best you've ever tasted. Anything else you want to do, maybe join Arthur the astounding?"

Dean ignored the obvious lead and smirked at him. He wasn't going to ruin the game or poke fun, but hey, if Kevin gives him free reign in a bar, he should expect what comes next.

"I'm sure Arthur can work alone, for the moment. I'll look around the bar. Any uh, any hotties here?"

Kevin paused for a brief moment, looking at his notes. If he actually had notes on this, Dean thought, he'd be impressed. After a moment, his eyes flicked up to meet Dean's. A small smirk fought it's way across his face. That probably didn't bode well. "Yes actually. There's an extremely beautiful woman at the end of the table, she-"

Dean cut him off, eager to cut to the chase. "Alright then, I go up and hit on her." As soon as the words left his mouth, Kevin smiled beatifically at him. His stomach dropped, that could not be good.

"Sure, what do you say?" His tone was light and jovial, almost mocking. What kind of diabolical trap had Dean just walked into?

Suddenly nervous, Dean waved his hands out in front of him as he thought. "Right, um. Hey there, how you doing?" Sam looked at him, incredulously while Crowley just looked at him, clearly unimpressed.

"That's the Winchester charm?" Crowley asked, rolling his eyes.

"OK, Cas," Kevin said, ignoring Crowley, his eyes alight with mischief. "A handsome young man approaches you at the bar. Dean what do you look like?"

"Wait. What?" A moment later the table erupted in laughter. Dean flushed red, lowering his head before tilting his face to look at Cas. He remained impassive, watching Dean intently with deep blue eyes.

"Well, Dean? What does James look like?"

"Really, Cas? A chick?" Dean asked, dumbfounded. Trying to keep a firm hold on his consternation as he locked eyes with Cas.

Cas tilted his head to the side, uncomprehending. "Yes. Kevin informed me that we could make any changes to the character sheet we wanted. So, while we're pretending, I thought I would play as a woman. Is that odd?"

"It's perfectly normal Castiel." Crowley volunteered, "just like cross dressing, or wearing makeup."

"Shut up Crowley," Dean growled, it was one thing for him to poke fun at Cas, but no way was he letting the King of Freakin' Hell do it. "Isn't it odd though?" Dean looked at Kevin in confusion. "I mean, he's a guy."

"Oh!" Cas laughed, "Dean, I'm not a man. Well, I guess I am now." He amended. At Dean's confused look, he continued. "Angels are genderless Dean, we weren't created to copulate or breed so there was no requirement for gender or genitalia. I've been inhabiting a male vessel due to circumstance, not because I'm male."

Right, Dean had almost forgotten the small fact that Cas is an entirely different species. It was like orcs and elves.

"It's fine Cas," Kevin said."So, Dean, what does James look like?"

"Um..." Dean floundered for a moment, still locked in a staring contest with Cas. He didn't know what it was, but Cas always had a way of holding his attention. "Ruggedly handsome, short black hair... scar over his left eye. No, right. He wears, y'know, armour, a tunic." He was pulling desperately from his memories of Moondoor. "And leather pants?"

"Ooh lala, aren't we fancy?" Crowley said, twitching his eyebrows meaningfully.

"Alright, and Cas?" Kevin continued, ignoring him.

Cas cleared his throat, breaking eye contact with Dean and facing Kevin. A small part deep inside him grumbled at the loss of attention. "Cassandra has long blond hair, and is clad in plate armour, bearing the symbols of her god, Pelor. She carriers herself with a noble bearing, confident in her power and her faith."

Dean blinked. Apparently Cas had been a bit more into this than he'd thought. A warrior of God eh? Again, he felt that small part of himself clench in distress at Cas' fantasy, reaching out for powers that were now denied him.

Kevin smiled encouragingly, and Dean was glad that Kevin was making the effort. "Alright Cas, that's great. So a ruggedly handsome man, has just approached you and said that. How do you respond? As a cleric of Light, you are here as both an escort for the Lord Mountjoy and have been awaiting the final two men to arrive. It is likely that the young man who has approached you is one."

Cas nodded, "Yes. Um... I say... 'Hello' in greeting to Dean-I mean, the man." 

Crowley resettled himself in his seat, lacing his fingers together in front of him, as if readying himself to watch a show.

"I am doing well, but I am awaiting one such as yourself."

Dean smiled, biting back the urge to reply in kind. Nope, he was going for it.

"Oh really? Well, perhaps we could become better acquaintances then and, uh, find out if you've been waiting for me?"

"I think that might be a wise decision. I have need of a man with your talents." Man, Cas was just lining them up.

"Oh, well in that case-" Dean began, falling into the role. This was OK though, it's not like they were actually flirting. Kevin broke first and interrupted them with an awkward cough.

"OK. Sam, you see your friend James is shamelessly flirting with the cleric at the bar. The man in the robes motions to the two of them talking and says 'He's a young sport, is he not? Do you think you could arrange for your friend and Lady Cassandra to join our table?" Kevin's voice clearly belonged to a man stepping closer to the brink of madness. Dean took a drink from his beer, schooling his face into a look of unadulterated innocence, and earning a smile from Cas. Worth it.

"Sure, uh... Arthur cups his hands to his mouth, and shouts over the crowd 'Hey! James!'"

"You hear Arthur the Astounding's voice shouting for your attention over the crowd, drawing you to the table. Do you join them?"

Dean raised an eyebrow mockingly at Kevin, before sighing and shaking his head. "Alright, Kev. Enough flirting with the barmaids. Let's get this show on the road." He steadfastly refused to meet Cas' eyes, but he thought he could feel them lingering as he turned away.

Kevin's head darted down at his notes again before speaking again.

"The Lord Mountjoy welcomes the two remaining adventurers to the table, motioning for you to take your seats and indicating a pitcher of ale." He said.

Dean nodded, starting to settle into his role a bit. If he thought about it, it was kind of like the start of a hunt. "Sure, we sit down. I grab a mug and fill it." He rubbed a thumb against his chin for a moment as he thought to himself, "and I say 'So, why exactly are we here?'"

Beside him, Sam nodded. His voice slid smoothly from casual into the usual tone he used during an investigation. "Your message wasn't exactly... informative."

Kevin smiled, a big toothy grin. That was starting to get worrisome. Dean didn't know much about the whole game running thing, but he knew trouble when he saw it. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Cas sitting forward in his seat, waiting for Kevin to respond.

"Yes," Crowley drawled, "Just what exactly are we doing here?" He flicked the die in his hands onto the table, watching with faint amusement as they rolled and clattered. "See? I'm getting invested."

Kevin shot him a dark look before taking a deep breath, and inflating his chest. Dean hoped the constipated look on his face was intentional. He had to admit though, the resemblance to some of the pompous officials Dean had seen in the past was uncanny.

"Yes, well... You've been called here because your names are well known among the higher class of people as being accomplished adventurers with a certain knack for handling troubles and..."

"Let me guess," Dean cut in. "You've got troubles right?"

"Er... Yes. The mayor, as you're well aware, has been very focused on the town's defence over the past several years. Increased the guard's presence among the city and increasing patrols throughout the surrounding woods. The orcs have been all but driven back to the Swamp of Evil over the past ten years."

"Sounds like a good idea to me." Sam opined.

Dean nodded, exchanging looks with him. "Yeah, orcs aren't exactly known for being friendly."

"The man gives a tight smile, his face lined with worry, before continuing. 'Yes, exactly but, um... The orcs seem to have taken some umbrage with the mayor's decision and-"

"Decided to have a bit of a vengeance party, did they?" Crowley piped up "Let me guess, wife? Daughter?"

"Lord Mountjoy looks alarmed, shock evident on his face. 'Yes actually, the Mayor's daughter, Etria. How did you know?"

"S'wat I would have done." Crowley said, offhandedly.

Dean didn't know why he was surprised by Crowley's response.

Kevin recovered after a moment and continued. "Her convoy was attacked three days ago, the soldiers sent with her were completely wiped out, but her body wasn't found. The orcs must have taken her captive. Oh, I can only imagine what they might be doing to her.'"

Dean's eyes flicked over to Cas briefly. He had a determined look on his face, his strong jaw firm. Dean licked his lips before replying. "Well, damsel in distress, who can say no to that? We're in, aren't we, Arthur?" Dean had to fight back a grin as the name passed over his lips.

Cas nodded. "Yes, we will save her from the grip of this menace." He paused for a moment, "What exactly is an orc?"

Dean snorted inelegantly at the calm and matter of fact way Cas asked.

"It's a type of monster, Cas" Kevin said, "They're fantasy creatures, not real. They're very brutal humanoids, with grey-green skin who live in tribes and raid human settlements."

Cas considered this. "They sound monstrous."

"We have got to show you Lord of the Rings." Dean muttered, imagining them curled up on the couch watching the trilogy one weekend. Sharing a bowl of popcorn between all of them. It was a stupid fantasy, more likely Cas would be sitting stiff-backed in a chair while Dean took the couch to himself and Sam was busy on his laptop reading something boring.

"Anyway orcs. Yeah." Kevin floundered for a moment before recapturing his persona. Dean watched, amused as he swelled again. "So yes, the orcs have likely taken her to their fortress in the Swamp of Evil. Please, you must save her. The mayor has offered a substantial reward for her safe return. A satchel of one thousand gold for the brave heroes who rescue her."

"Well... Sounds good I suppose." Sam said.

"Yeah, it'll be nice to get paid for once." Dean said, smirking. He took another pull of his beer, eyes darting over to look at Cas, who appeared deep in thought.

"Payment is nice, but... The Lady Cassandra is doing this because it is right."

An awkward silence descended upon the group for a moment before Dean leaned over and clapped him on the shoulder. "Whatever you say lady."

Sam laughed before shifting in his chair, getting more comfortable. Beside him, Crowley reached out a shackled hand, snagging a chip and crunched it viciously.

"So... Lord... Mountjoy...what's with all the secrecy exactly? I mean, wouldn't the mayor want his people to know he has this well in hand?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Dean said, following Crowley's lead and popping some chips into his mouth. "We're not the best out there, but you're not ashamed of us are you?"

Kevin laughed awkwardly. "Yes, well the thing is... The people don't know yet. You see, the mayor's daughter is much beloved by the people of the city, and engaged to marry the second son of the Wilsons. The mayor feels that no one needs to know about the situation until she has been returned safely. As far as the people of the city are concerned, she is out on a trip to the North and the story will remain that way until she returns home. Is that understood?"

Dean exchanged a look with his brother. If this was a real case, something would be up. This guy had "NOT TRUTHFUL" written all over him in large crayon. Dean didn't know how complicated these games were supposed to be though, so maybe it was just that simple. It didn't matter though, it was just a game. It wasn't really important. He shrugged, "Sure, fine. I guess we'd better get going then, shouldn't we?"

* * *

"After a comfortable night spent in a nearby inn at Lord Mountjoy's expense, you set out on your adventure. Following the maps, you head North, along the merchant road, knowing that in five short days' time, it will lead you all to the Swamp of Evil, and the terrors that lurk therein. The weather is fair, and the road is clear." Kevin described. Judging by the look on his face, he was enjoying the narration more than Dean thought was strictly healthy. Cas, though, seemed enraptured, his intense blue eyes staring at Kevin, waiting for the next line. "However, just after noon on the third day... I'm going to have to ask everyone to make a Perception check." He finished, pausing dramatically.

Dean looked at Sam, a bit unsure. Shit, what were they supposed to do? A moment later, Kevin looked up "Guys?"

"Um... I don't believe you explained to us what that means." Castiel began, looking at the character sheet in front of him.

"Right," Dean added, relieved that Cas could back him up. 

"Oh, right, um..." Kevin's face heated up. "So, on your character sheet, there's a long list of things called skills, OK? That says how good you are at doing something. You're going to take a d20," he looked up at their blank faces "This 20-sided die here, and roll it, then add whatever your skill modifier is. So,look for Perception."

Everyone dutifully looked down at their character sheets.

"Negative two?" Sam asked.

"Well, you are a wizard, I suppose it's only fair that you get a bit distracted. Your character has low wisdom so he's not exactly the most in-tune with the world around him."

Sam sighed and rolled his die, eyes narrowing as it landed on a 2. Dean snorted as the glare was transferred to Kevin.

"I have a 0, so I guess that's just great." Dean reached out, grabbing the closest die and rolling it. "Thirteen. That any good?"

"Not good enough I'm afraid."

"It says here plus three." Castiel intoned, before rolling the die. "Is a fifteen good enough?"

"Still off." Kevin seemed to be smirking now, the little shit.

The clatter of Crowley's die drew their attention, the small black die had landed on a 14. "With my plus six, I believe that makes it a twenty. How is that, Kev?" His voice was different now, carrying an air of challenge in it. Dean took a second to survey Crowley's shackles and the state of the devil's trap. Just for a moment, he had a real fear that Crowley had found an out.

"Uh, yeah that'll do it." Kevin consulted his notes again, "With that twenty, you'll hear the sounds of figures moving in the brush ahead of you some twenty feet away, most likely bandits. Do you tell the others?"

"No, although I will move further back ever so slightly."

"What?" Kevin said.

"Oh come on man!" Dean shouted.

"Crowley..." Sam warned a moment later.

"Boys please, this is a game. Besides, I hardly see why you expected me to be a team player."

Dean rolled his eyes in a grudging acceptance.

"Yeah, OK he's got us there. So when I see him walking back I-"

"Now, now, now, you don't know why I'm walking slowly, in fact maybe you didn't even notice it at all." Crowley admonished.

Kevin groaned, "He's right Dean, you don't have any reason to mistrust- Hey, Crowley what is your rogue's name anyway?"

Crowley tilted his chin up defiantly, a smirk on his face. "That's for me to know."

"This is going to be exactly like David Wong isn't it..." Kevin muttered.

"Can't say I know the fellow, but all signs point to yes." Crowley seemed pleased with himself. A smug little grin tugging at the edges of his mouth.

Kevin put a hand to his temple, pressing slightly, before turning back to Dean. Despite himself, Dean was on the edge of his seat, the promise of danger getting his blood racing. "Like I was saying, you don't have any reason to mistrust... Crowley... So you don't really know there's an ambush."

"Oh, this is bullshit, isn't there a skill or something?"

"Um..." Kevin thought before nodding, "yeah, I'll allow a Insight check. That's another d20 roll with your modifier. Crowley? Roll Deception."

Dean smirked triumphantly at Crowley, grabbing his die and shaking it dramatically in his hands before rolling it across the table with gusto. Crowley gave his die a shake before dropping it on the table, disinterestedly.

"Fifteen." Dean said

"Eighteen." Crowley countered.

"Shit."

Now Crowley was grinning completely unashamed, his eyes alight with amusement at such a mundane amount of deception.

"Well then Squirrel, it would appear that you know nothing. It shouldn't be that different from the usual, now should it?" Crowley looked down at his hands as he rolled the die between his fingers like a coin or talisman. Dean was reasonably sure that Crowley couldn't work any mojo in here, but he was starting to get suspicious.

"Kevin? Can I roll?" Cas asked, eyes narrowed at Crowley.

"Yeah, sure. Not you Crowley, you've already rolled." Kevin said, as Crowley went to roll his die again. "Beat an eighteen Cas, catching onto Crowley's lies is all on you."

The room tensed as breaths were held without meaning to. Dean watched Cas intently as he took the die in long, graceful fingers and shook it before letting it roll onto the table.

"Nineteen." Castiel said, after checking his sheet. Sam released his breath softly, but Dean broke out into a broad grin.

"Good roll!" He patted Cas triumphantly on the back, letting his hand linger a moment before dropping it back to his side.

"Alright then Cas, you notice that..." Kevin grimaced, tripping over the lack of a name, "that Crowley's character looks ahead briefly, cocking his head to the side ever so subtly as if noticing something before slowing his pace."

"Alright then," Cas begins, hands parting as he speaks as if his next course of action is obvious "I speak up to warn my friends about Crowley's duplicity."

"Good idea Cas," Kevin smiled encouragingly. "What does Lady Cassandra say?"

Dean noticed the emphasis on the name as Kevin said it. Apparently Cas did too as he collected himself, head lowered, and eyes closed. It was as if Cas was trying to find whatever small piece of him was Lady Cassandra. The piece of him that was still a holy and righteous warrior of God. A moment later his head snapped up at Crowley, eyes boring into him, his voice deep and growling. It was as if he had scraped together his angelic power, and sent it out through his voice.

"You. Rogue. What have you seen?" Dean's mouth went slack at the sound of authority in Cas' voice and his jeans twitched. Crowley flinched, caught off guard.

"Nothing, I was just-"

"He lies. Arm yourselves." Cas said, before letting some of the force out of his voice, sounding much more human. "I take out my mace and ready my shield."

Wow. Dean was gobsmacked, and more than just a little turned on.

He hadn't heard Cas speak like that in years and the effect was oddly arousing. Even as an angel he'd been trying to relax, be less authoritative. There hadn't been so much threat and strength in his voice since he'd threatened to throw him back into Hell. He'd almost forgotten just how dangerous Cas used to be. Dean stared at him, marvelling at the man beside him and fighting the desire to just reach out and touch him.

Kevin spoke up, breaking the spell. "Right, it's at that moment that the bushes on either end of the forest part and nine orcs erupt out of the underbrush towards you! Roll for initiative!"

Dean stared at him blankly, beside him, Sam looked down at his character sheet before rolling his die. He was the only one.

"Didn't I explain...?"

"No." Crowley said, voice flat.

"Argh, OK so..." Kevin launched into a description of the rules for combat, initiative to see who reacts first and how fast, how to make attacks and how to cast spells. It didn't seem too bad, Cas had already rolled his initiative. At the prospect of a battle, Dean's heart began pumping, which was ridiculous but he didn't know what to expect just yet. He rolled his die.

"Twenty-four." He exclaimed, allowing himself a fist pump. Higher numbers seemed good.

Around the table, the others called out their numbers, his was the highest. Sam was pouting at rolling the lowest again, his hair falling over his face like a curtain as he sulked.

"Alright Dean", he looked up at Kevin as he called for his attention. "As the orcs break out of the underbrush, your well-trained fighter's reflexes react quicker than anyone else, what do you do?" Dean watched as Kevin stood up from his seat, placing a bunch of little figures on the square mat on the table. A small group of people in the middle, surrounded by a strange assortment of monsters. Dean reached out and picked one up, looking it over. It wasn't exactly orc-like. In fact, it looked more lizardy. Looking it over, he saw the word kobold written underneath.

"I know they're not all orcs, but they're just for representation. Kevin said nervously as Dean put the figure back. "So, what are you going to do?"

"Well, I can hurt these guys right?" Dean said. He had never had the time to play video games as a kid, but he'd always wanted to. Having been drawn to the whole, virtual bloodbath idea. Finally, this game was going somewhere interesting and he was excited to be a part of it.

"Yeah, just move your character up and attack." Kevin motioned towards a figure on the table. "That's you, you can move six squares."

"Well alright then." Dean picked up the small figure representing his character and moved it up to the closest 'orc'. "OK, so I take its head off with my sword."

"You have to roll first."

"What?" Dean sighed in exasperation, rules were annoying. "Do we have to roll for everything?"

"Yes." Crowley said. "I thought even you would have caught on by now."

Dean looked across the table at him. "Why haven't we killed you yet?" He muttered picking up his die and rolling it.

"Must be my charming personality. Oh look, an eleven, well done." He spoke, as if congratulating a small child.

"OK, so I attack with my longsword so I add that, right? That's an eighteen."

"Great, that hits, now damage."

Dean sighed, looking down at his dice. "Are you freaking kidding me?!" He reached out for the die again.

"No Dean, use that die instead, longswords use eight-sided dice. See on your sheet?" He trailed off at the look on Dean's face.

Dean snatched up the die without another word, although he was thinking of several, and rolled. It clattered noisily across the table, skittering to the far corner. It was possible that he'd put just a bit too much force into the roll.

"Eight, plus the Four beside it is twelve damage."

"OK, great. As the orcs break the cover of the bushes, you charge up to the nearest one, swinging your blade around in an arc. Your blade strikes true, cleanly severing the orcs' head from its body as it falls to the ground in front of you. Around you, the orcs scream, looking both angry and fearful."

Dean smiled, the scene playing out in his mind's eye. "Cool."

Dean listened a bit more intently as Kevin went around the table, describing the battle as it unfolded. Some of the orcs moved next, but they couldn't hit him. Kevin described James actions as he defended himself, dodging the blows that rained in on him, ducking to the side or parrying a blow off of his shield. Despite his luck though, as the last orc moved he found himself surrounded by three orcs. "You're going to take some hits next turn Dean" Kevin said, grinning at him with promise. The little shit looked like he was going to enjoy hurting him, even if only by proxy.

Crowley lurked around the edge of the battlefield, diving into the brush at the first opportunity and hiding from the orcs.

"Just waiting for the right moment to strike." He assured them, earning him a scathing glare from Cas. As soon as it was his turn, he slipped into angel mode again and smashed his mace into the face of an orc who had gotten too close.

"OK Arthur, your turn." Kevin laughed. "You find yourself surrounded by three orcs who managed to get past the others." Damn, Dean knew he should have positioned himself better. Luck had seen them through the first round, but Kevin had assured them it wouldn't last long.

"Right, well, what can I do? I mean, I don't seem to be able to hit anyone, I do like, no damage."

"Did you check your spells? Those are pretty sweet."

"Magic usually is Kev, if you want I could set you up." Crowley offered slyly, his tongue flicking out as if he could taste a deal in the air.

Dean laughed into his hand as Kevin ignored Crowley. Sam was shuffling furiously through a small stack of cards beside him before he finally stopped on one, and read it carefully. Taking his cue from Sam, Cas also began shuffling through the small stack of cards he had, looking for something helpful.

"OK, so how about Sleep?"

"Yeah go for it." Kevin smiled."Roll the dice." Sam picked up a small fistful of dice. Dean felt a surprising surge of envy as Sam rolled them all. He only got the one die, but Sam got five? What gives?

"Well?" Kevin asked

"Thirty in total, got some high rolls there."

"Oh, wow. OK Sam, you hold out your hands, incanting the words of your spell. A hazy powder drifts over the eyes of the three orcs approaching you. The two nearest you fall asleep with a loud thud, dropping to the ground insensible. They'll be asleep for the next minute but anyone can go up to them and slit their throats with no problem, or wake them up." Kevin reached out, taking two of the figurines and putting them on their sides.

"Son of a bitch." Dean said, looking at the upended figurines. "Is it my turn yet? I want to kill something."

"Yeah, it is but you already-"

"Whatever, dice me."

* * *

OK, Dean had to admit that was pretty sweet. Crowley crept up to the last orc, slitting its throat in while it slept. Total victory for the good guys, although it had mostly been himself, Cas and Sam. Crowley insisted on staying in the bushes and only occasionally helping. Just like on a real hunt though, they worked together like a machine. They had gotten a few scratches though, Kevin had described it as being winded or getting a grazing wound and Cas had appeared to be eagerly looking at one of his spell cards.

"OK guys, good job, normally I'd hand out experience but since this is a one-shot game I won't bother. You do all, however, find thirty gold on the bodies of the orcs."

"Sweet, works for me." Dean said, grinning to Cas and Sam. "It's more than we usually make, ghosts don't usually carry wallets."

"You guys might want to take this moment to rest a bit. Castiel, don't forget that as a cleric you can restore hp to your party." Kevin reminded them. He seemed a bit anxious, probably worried that they'd fuck up and get themselves killed so early in the night. To Hell with that, Dean's competitive streak had reared it's head and hewas determined to see this through, and to do the most damage.

"I hadn't forgotten Kevin, thank you." Ah, that explained what Cas was looking at. "Who among us is the most wounded?"

"I took some heavy damage blocking for Sam, I'm at about half." Cas' eyes brows knitted together. It was cute, almost as if he was as worried for Dean's character as he would be for Dean.

"Alright, well Lady Cassandra calls upon God to heal James as I lay my hands upon him." Castiel said, rolling his dice.

"James says 'Oh yeah, lay it on me, baby.'" Dean winked,and Cas looked up in surprise before averting his gaze, cheeks flushed.

"I'm a bit scratched up myself, Angel" Crowley began, "One of those orcs had some fight in him."

"Your wounds are your own concern." He retorted, pausing for a moment before continuing. "After all, if you had warned us ahead of time, we might have fared better."

"I'm fine," Sam said smugly, "not a scratch on me."

"Yeah, yeah Sammy, don't forget the why. Thanks man." Dean said, writing his new hit point total on his character sheet.

"Alright, so as I was saying, well done on your first battle. Are we ready to press onward? The Swamp of Evil is only a few more days travel."

"Yeah, lets do this." Dean was smiling. He could see the worry on Kevin's face as he looked at him and it only put him in more of a good mood. He idly shook the d20 in his hand as Kevin began talking, anxious to roll it again.

"Alright, so the travel for the rest of the day is uneventful." Dean dropped the die onto the table, disappointed. "However, as the sun is setting behind the distant Fang Mountains, you come across a homely looking inn on the side of the road. It seems well travelled, although it has fallen on hard times. An old, rotting sign on the door proclaims it to be the Aged Goose inn."

"Really?" Sam quirked his eyebrows, his lips doing that little twitchy smile thing that he does.

"Yes, Sam, weird inn names are a great DnD tradition. Do you head in for the night or press on for a bit longer and make camp on the road?"

Dean motioned Sam and Castiel forward into a huddle, looking up at Kevin suspiciously.

"OK, this is clearly a trap right?"

"Yeah," Sam agreed.

"Even I know it's a trap." Cas said, smiling ruefully to himself.

"OK, proceed with caution, scope it out. Maybe we'll get lucky and there'll be something to kill."

"Dean, I don't think that's-" Cas began.

"Oh don't worry, I'll save something for you my lady. Maybe you'll have to heal me up again too."

Cas smiled, eyes crinkling. "I'll always heal you, if I can." Dean's heart soared. It was ridiculous, he knew it, but at that moment, he didn't care. He could just let himself be James and for once, not worry. Besides, it was fine if James liked Cassandra, right? He was just role playing.


	3. Temptations in the Night

Dean closed his eyes, putting aside his thoughts about Cas. With difficulty, he refocused on the situation at hand and turned to Kevin. "OK, so we'll check the inn out, I'll go around the front. Arthur here," He indicated Sam, "will go around the left side and Lady Cassandra, you go around the right. We'll keep our eyes alert for any signs that this inn isn't just an inn."

"What should I do then, just sit here and twiddle my thumbs?" Crowley actually had the nerve to be annoyed at being left out. There was no winning with demons.

"Thought you'd want to sit this one out."

"What? And be left behind if a horrible ambush catches you all in it's trap. No, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Fine, you're with me, I'm keeping my eyes on you." He'd play Crowley's game, but there was no way he was going to give Crowley the chance to screw them over again.

"Dean, my insight skill is higher than yours, perhaps it would be best if if he stayed with me." Cas offered, nudging him in the shoulder to get his attention. The brief contact was like a shock, and Dean found himself nodding along dumbly before Crowley spoke up.

"Oh yes, good idea Cas, I like it. Together again, is it?" Dean's blood boiled as the name slid off of his lips. This was a bad idea, there was no way he was going to leave those two together. Who knew what Crowley might do to Cas-Lady Cassandra.

"No, no, never mind. Crowley is staying with me. I'm not sending this snake off alone with you." Dean could feel the eyes of all those at the table pressing in on him as he pretended to examine his character sheet. "It'd be just like him to nail you while you're in trouble, then you can't heal us. It's better this way." He reasoned, hoping it sounded logical and resolutely ignoring the unfortunate word choice.

"You don't trust me? I'm wounded." Crowley hissed.

"Good."

"So we're all good?" Kevin interjected, "Make your rolls." He looked down again, eyes scanning one of his damn papers.

The group grabbed their dice and rolled, telling Kevin their numbers.

"So your highest Perception check was a fifteen?" Kevin smiled, Dean clenched.

"Yes, so what's going on? Old inn? Illusion?"

"No, not at all, it looks a bit run down but peeking in through the windows, you see a few customers inside. Drinking and eating happily. Candles flicker in their sconces, casting a soft and inviting glow across the room."

Dean nudged Sam. "I don't like this, this is such a trap."

"Yeah, Dean, I agree but I mean, we can't just ignore it right? It's probably more dangerous to stay out on the road."

"Is it? We stayed out the last few nights and didn't have any problems."

"Yeah, but we didn't have a choice, there's an inn here, that means something."

"Yes." Cas' deep voice growled beside him, sending small shivers across his skin. "This inn was placed here intentionally, so it makes sense to assume that Kevin had some reason to do so."

"OK, but inside or out?"

"Oh for- I go inside" Crowley said.

Shit. Of course he did.

"I stop him! I grab him or something." Dean started, reaching for his die. It's possible that he's overreacting a bit, but this is a game he intends to win and Crowley is not going to ruin it.

"Sorry Dean, but he opens the door and slips in before you can get your hands on him. You watch helplessly as the door swings shut behind him. The sound of terrible screaming, as though of a thousand voices in pain does not echo out through the door."

"Crap. I -Wait,what?" Dean'sbrain had just caught up with what his ears heard.

"The sound of pain and screaming does not come out of the inn. Merely jovial laughter and the whispering of voices."

"Um, alright. I call for the others around the inn to come back."

Another brief huddle and argument leads to them all deciding that the best course of action was to head in after Crowley, and damn the consequences. They were still confused about Kevin had meant earlier with the whole screaming and terror thing.

"OK Kevin, so we go in, Dean in front with Cas behind him and me in the back, we're ready for trouble, but we have our weapons sheathed." Kevin nodded in understanding, his little smile making Dean twitch again and his hands fidget. It's not that he wants to punch Kevin, he just wants that smile to be gone.

"Alright, so, pushing open the door, you find yourself in the main room that you saw from the outside. You see a few customers inside. Drinking and eating happily. Candles flicker in their sconces, casting a soft and inviting glow across the room." Kevin repeated. "In the corner of the room by the bar, Crowley is seated and drinking an ale."

"Well that's not suspicious at all," Dean said. Something was up with this inn and he was determined to find out what. "OK, so I guess I'll look around, take stock of the people in here with us."

'Alright, well there are three groups of people, two men, two men and a woman, and a single woman sitting by the bar alone. The woman is stunningly beautiful, the other two groups appear to be merchants of some kind. They wear nice clothes, but they've obviously seen the road."

"Alright, I'll get a drink from the bartender and grab a seat after asking for some rooms for us."

Dean opted to stay downstairs while Sam went to check their rooms. It wouldn't be the first time some assholes had gotten to an hotel ahead of them and left an unpleasant surprise. Admittedly, that usually happened after they'd already started a hunt, but he wasn't taking any chances. They could be crazy cannibalistic cultists for all they knew. Cas and Crowley stayed downstairs with Dean. He kept his eyes on them, watching and waiting for the shoe to drop.

"OK Dean, after a few minutes, the beautiful woman from the bar gets up, and comes over to talk with you and flirt a bit and I am honestly not going to actually roleplay that part so you'll just have to use your imagination OK?"

"No, no man, you started this, so she's hot right?" Dean took an eager sip of his drink, watching Kevin squirm uncomfortably in his seat. He was going to make him regret this, and it was going to be awesome.

"I think at this point, I should retire and ensure that Arthur is safe in the rooms." Cas spoke up softly, voice quiet. Kevin nodded in acknowledgement before turning to Dean.

"Um, yeah, she asks you what a group like you is doing in a place like this."

"Really?" Dean paused for a moment waiting for a response. Beside him, Cas seemed absorbed in his character sheet. He tried to push it out of his mind. "Alright then, I say..." Something in his heart twitched a bit at the look on Cas' face. "You know what, never mind. I tell her sorry, but not interested. We're on business."

Cas looked up, a strange mixture of emotions crossing his face. Surprise changed into relief, and then maybe just a touch of embarrassment. The rest of the table just looked shocked.

"What?" He asked, defensively, "She could be a demon or something. Yeah, never mind, this inn is fine." He couldn't quite describe why he felt so off, but the look on Cas' face was not helping him regain his balance. "Lets head off to bed."

"I'll catch up after picking the local's pockets just a bit." Crowley said, rolling a die and cackling happily at the nineteen.

"OK Crowley, fine, you succeed at pilfering the pockets of a few of the merchants. I think this is a good time for a break guys, I need some real food."

* * *

After a short break, they all returned to the table. Crowley, of course, was excluded. That bastard was staying put. Dean had taken the opportunity to crack another beer and grabbed a sandwich before heading back. He settled down into his chair with some excitement. Despite himself, he was looking forward to whatever Kevin had planned. The only thing not making him feel like a loser was the look of equal enthusiasm he'd seen on Cas' face as they left. 

"Oh Hell," Crowley drawled, looking at him with deep pity. "You're actually enjoying this aren't you."

Dean swallowed the large bite he'd taken before following it with a large gulp of beer and shrugged. "It's not that bad, I LARPed with Charlie once y'know, and that was pretty fun too. Besides, I guess it's fun to be someone else occasionally, act differently."

"Oh for- you do realize you're just playing yourself, right Squirrel? The simple fighter who just beats things until they stay down?"

A hot surge of anger passed through him before he stamped it down, unwilling to rise to the bait and be Crowley's new game. "And what being a douche is different for you?"

"I never said I was roleplaying darling."

Dean shook his head as Sam walked in and sat down beside him, followed by Cas and Kevin. Apparently the two had just finished a conversation, and Cas looked uncomfortable.

Dean nudged Cas as he sat down, sending him a worried, questioning look.

"What's that about?"

"Oh, nothing. I just had a few questions to ask, that's all." Cas' eyes flitted to the side, not stopping to look straight at Dean for once. There was definitely something up, something that the other man wasn't saying.

"Right."

"OK, everyone ready?" Kevin called. Dean nodded, maybe a bit more enthusiastically than was necessary.

"Alright, so you all sleep peacefully in your rooms. Lady Cassandra and... Crowley, have rooms to themselves, while Arthur and James are sharing. It's about two in the morning, when James and Arthur hear a faint knocking on their door."

Dean looked suspiciously at Kevin, trying to appraise the danger. His lips were thin, pressed together tightly, and he looked like he was resisting the urge to laugh.

"Alright, I grab my sword, head for the door and cautiously open it."

"I'll ready another sleeping spell."

Kevin nodded in acknowledgement before looking straight at Castiel and smiling.

"Alright Dean, as you open the door, you see Lady Cassandra out in the hall. She is bereft of her armour, wearing only a night dress which accentuates the curve of her form. Cas?"

"Hello there James, I was hoping to speak with you about something if we could. In private." Cas added, his voice low and husky. "You performed admirably today, but I think that there's more that we could accomplish together."

Dean's jaw dropped as he gawped at him. Cas' cheeks were flushed, his brilliant blue eyes darting up to catch Dean's for a moment before skittering away in embarrassment. Dean's stomach flipped, and his heartbeat quickened. God, that voice. Those words weren't exactly the ones he'd ever fantasized about, but right now they sure did the trick. Had Cas planned this with Kevin? His brain reeled, reaching out for the first word it could think of.

"Um." He said. Nope, not a word, try again.

On his other side, Sam was grinning widely. Teeth showing and eyes crinkled in a knowing smirk. Before Dean could recover, he turned to Cas.

"He'll be right with you, I'm sure he would love to speak privately with you." Sam turned back to Kevin, "I push him out the door and shut it."

Kevin laughed, he damn laughed, but Dean didn't care because Cas looked back at him again, their gazes locked and the seconds ticked by. Dean could admit that the amount of time they spent staring wasn't, strictly speaking, normal but it never seemed important to him, just as long as he could look into those eyes. He wondered idly if Cas' eyes were entirely mortal or if they reflected something of the angel within.

"Right, um lead on my Lady." He couldn't believe it. He'd never thought Cas would, but then again it's not, right? They're just playing. Or was he actually flirting? Was it possible that Cas wanted this? Dean's thoughts were quickly spiralling out of control, chasing each other in excitement and fear.

"I take his hand and pull him close, leading him out back where we can have some privacy." Cas' eyes flicked away again, as if the words were sticking in his throat.

Sam's chortling began to subside, his mirthful look draining away as he looked between Dean and Cas.

"Um, Kevin can I do something right now?"

"Write it down on a paper and pass it to me."

Sam grabbed a piece of scrap paper and scribbled something down. Dean angled his body to try and catch a glimpse but a creak from the chair gave him away and Sam caught him. He smiled and shifted the paper away from Dean's line of sight. When he was done, he passed it over to Kevin. Kevin smirked, almost approvingly before scribbling something on the paper and passing it back.

"OK, so the Lady Cassandra has lead you around the back of the Inn to what passes for a vegetable garden."

Dean can feel the tension in the room, Crowley, for once, seemed to be paying attention, while Sam's eyes were darting between Cas and the paper. He downs a beer for courage. Maybe he could actually say a little of what he'd actually been thinking here. It's not like it was actually them right? He was talking to Cassandra, not Cas.

"Well, my lady, what is it you wish to discuss, and why now? It's past midnight." There had to be some secret Cas was withholding, if Dean could just look at him straight on.

Sam nudged Cas then, passing over the paper. Cas scanned the note briefly before writing something down on it and nodding. When he turned back to Dean, his eyes seemed distant as if reading off of an internal script, although his voice was still low and husky, still clawing it's way through Dean's body.

"I've felt something since we first met, haven't you? Did you not feel that spark when I laid my hands upon you? That woman in the bar made me realize that others might see you as well." Something flickered in his eyes then, something softened for a moment before growing distant. "I lean back against a nearby tree, um, casually and beckon him towards me."

Well that just changed the nature of the game entirely. Dean paused, thinking, choosing his words carefully. There was so much he wanted to say, but he didn't know whether he could, or should.

"I- Yes, I did. Ever since I laid eyes on you." To Hell with it, "I step towards Lady Cassandra and wrap my arms around her, pulling her close and kiss her." Dean licked his lips, eyes still locked on Cas' face, but something was wrong, different. Around the table, there was an awkward silence. Crowley was staring at them in rapt fascination.

"Alright," Kevin begins, "As your lips touch, you feel a strange heat spread throughout your body. An engulfing fire that burns through you inflaming your passions. Lady Cassandra kisses like no one you've ever kissed before, and her hands twine sensuously around your body."

"Wow, really Kev? Laying on a bit thick there aren't you?" Dean downed another gulp of beer, trying to distract himself from the situation. He was not going to imagine pressing Cas up against a tree, or twining his hands through his hair. He was absolutely not going to imagine the feel of his soft lips against his own, or how it would feel to have his body pressed against him.

"As you go to pull back, she pulls you in again, kissing you mercilessly until you start to feel weak in the knees. Literally. Roll a Con, and Wisdom check."

"What?" Dean reached for his dice, rolling them across the table. _Shit, what's happening?_ "A twelve and a fourteen?"

"Sorry Dean, you begin to feel your life force being drained from your body, take thirty-two damage. The pain, however dances along the thin line of pleasure and you find that you just can't stop yourself from kissing her, the thought of being without her touch is just too much to bear."

"Son of a bitch, it's a siren or succubus or something, isn't it?" Dean looked down at his character sheet, trying not to imagine the poor sap being kissed to death. He grabbed his beer, savouring the cold taste before putting it forcefully down on the table. Beside him, Sam started to smile, knee bouncing impatiently. His eyes darted between Cas and Kevin, and he was tapping his pencil against the desk. 

"Sam, I hope you've got something going to bail me out. "

"Now?" Sam asked Kevin.

"Yeah, go ahead." Kevin nodded.

"Don't I always?" Sam smiled cockily at him, shaking his dice in his oversized hand.

"Alright James, so just as you and Lady Cassandra are starting to get, let's just say hot and heavy, you are dimly aware of the sound of footsteps behind you. You're almost insensate at this point, half-naked and barely clinging to life but you see Arthur round the corner with Lady Cassandra hot on his heels." Kevin cackled at the look on Dean's face. With the immediate danger seemingly passed he looked at Castiel with confusion and betrayal.

"You tricked me, man." Dean accused.

"Kevin insisted." Castiel turned now to meet Dean's eyes, and he saw true sorrow there. "I'm sorry, Dean, but Cassandra will heal you as soon as she's able."

"I tell the shapeshifter to let him go, or face my wrath." Sam said. Kevin nodded sagely, looking to Castiel for his actions.

"I invoke this spell Spirit Guardians. Roll to save." Castiel said, his voice steel, grabbing a handful of dice to roll.

"You go Cas, bring down the thunder."

"Yeah, OK." Kevin reached for a die, mildly disturbed by the tension on Castiel's face. "Does a fourteen make it?"

"It does not, take twenty-four damage."

"What?!" Kevin popped his head over the divider to see three 8s all face up. "OK then... She screams out in pain as the spirits you summon rip and tear at her body. She curses your name and your god. Wow that did a lot of damage on round one... She takes one last look at James, one of longing and heated desire, before cursing and vanishing, having teleported away."

Sam held his hand out across the table to Cas, palm up and facing him. After a moment, Cas extended his hand to match, resulting in an awkward high-five as they just kind of pressed against each other.

"No man," Dean said, like this. He demonstrated with Sam before holding his hand out for Cas, itching for the contact. He had to resist the urge to close his fingers around Cas' when the man touched his hand.

"Cassandra will heal James, although she will endeavour to not stare at his state of undress." It was said so innocently that Dean thought it was almost lewd.

"Thanks for the heals my lady."

Cas blushed, "I told you I would always heal you when I could."

"Oh for God's sake just snog and get it over with." Crowley said, startling them both.

"So, succubi Kev? You know, we've never actually seen one of those. I've heard rumours, but we've never gotten to take down a sex demon before. It could be fun."

"What about that siren five years ago? She was a sex demon, Dean."

"Yeah, but she looked like a man, it doesn't count."

Kevin dropped his pencil.

"Wait, she looked like a -" Crowley and Kevin exchanged a look and stopped talking so suddenly that Dean was almost worried Crowley had crushed his vocal chords. 

"I inform James that it was a succubus, as was the woman in the dress at the bar. She has likely been waylaying travellers and took on a different form to kill you when her original guise did not work." He stated calmly, voice level and carefully controlled. "Although I cannot say for certain why she chose my form."

Dean looked at Kevin suspiciously. _Shit, did he know? No, no way._

"If you're quite alright James, I'll be returning to bed."

"Um, yeah, sure." Dean stammered, "I guess we'll head back to bed?"

"Sure, that makes sense." Kevin agreed. "So you all head back to bed, some of you better off than the others. The next morning"

"Uh Kevin, dear." Crowley said. Kevin looked up at him, already suspicious. "During the slight kerfuffle, I moved throughout the inn, picking up any objects that might be of value, or any loose change."

"Fine, Crowley, add thirty gold. Happy?"

"I'm still playing, aren't I?"


	4. Time for a Showdown

"You wake up bright and early the next morning." Kevin began. "Pushing away the unpleasant thoughts of the previous night, you set out to finish your travels to the Swamp of Evil and rescue the mayor's fair daughter. The weather is mild and the sun is bright in the sky, although the wind brings with it the subtle touch of autumn's chill." Dean closed his eyes as Kevin spoke, letting himself imagine the landscape around him. He could almost see the four of them travelling down the road together. "The four of you find no other encounters on your travels, and you reach the outskirts of the Swamp of Evil unmolested." Dean let out a disappointed breath,he had really been looking forward to killing something. "Ahead of you, the land is twisted and corrupted, the vegetation dying and the soil black. The very air smells foul and your eyes begin to water slightly at the fumes choking the air."

That sounded great, and not at all like trouble. Dean could have done without the putrid details ruining his epic mental image. He was imagining them there, standing on the outskirts of the deadly swamps, lush forests behind him like the Fellowship of the Ring. However, instead of Cassandra, his mind supplied Cas instead. He thought Cas would look great in a suit of shining armour, his black hair tousled with sweat and the winds of their travels.

"Alright guys, the forest is dark and the road vanishes, having been overgrown years ago. The sun is beginning to set, do you press on into the Swamp at night, or do you set up camp here on the outskirts?"

"Well, I can't say that I care for it, but I think it makes more sense to set up camp, right? Orcs don't like the light and that's what we're going to find here." Dean said, thinking back on the Lord of the Rings. He ignored the look Sam gave him. "I told you, I read."

"Um, right. Yeah, I guess it makes sense. We should be fine here."

"That does make sense.” Kevin agreed, “You make camp for the night, describe your sleeping arrangements please?" Kevin picked up his dice and began rolling them behind his sheet, just like he had the previous nights. After the third roll he stopped, eyes flicking from the dice to a paper and back again, face growing paler as he read from it. Shit, that did not look good. He began rolling. That was a lot of dice. He looked up and caught Dean’s eye guiltily before ducking his head again. With each Die roll, Dean got more and more worried. Who knew what they might face on the outskirts of the Swamp.

"Guys, he's up to something."

"Of course he is, that's the point." Crowley yawned. "Hopefully it'll end this charade."

Kevin cleared his throat, nervously.

"Aw, crap." Dean slumped forward, hands over his face. He was not willing to let go of James just yet. Cas reached over and put a hand on his shoulder, patting it awkwardly. The brief contact made him feel better, yet craving more. He wanted to lean forward into the touch, but held himself back, as always.

"Alright, so about three hours into the night, I'm going to have to ask the person on watch to make a perception check. I think that's you Castiel?"

"Yes." Kevin let out a relieved sigh as Cas rolled a fifteen.

"Alright, you hear the sound of voices, loud and guttural approaching from the North. They're close, really close. What do you do?"

"I wake the others and prepare for combat."

"Alright, you all awaken to Cassandra’s hushed voice, just on the edge of panic. The sound of rough voices are getting ever closer and louder. It sounds like a large group of orcs." Kevin said. "You might be able to flee if you run now."

The three of them held a quick conference, deciding amongst themselves that orcs wouldn’t be a big deal. They just had to hide and lay an ambush, then spring it when the orcs came through unawares.

“Besides,” Dean whispered, “The only good orc is a dead orc, right?”

Sam and Cas nodded their assent, although Cas seemed far more reserved. He hadn’t agreed to Dean’s plan at first but they had talked him into it.

"Nah, we're not running from orcs,” Dean said, smiling cockily at Kevin. Kevin wanted to challenge them, they weren't going to run. “We can handle them. We’re going to duck into the bushes though, get the drop on them when they come blundering through. They don’t know we’re here, so they probably won’t expect an attack."

"Alright,” Kevin said uncertainly. Dean was suddenly starting to worry about this plan. “Roll stealth." They rolled their dice, ducking into the shadows and bushes to the best of their respective abilities as Dean snuffed the campfire. Crowley, the bastard, managed to roll impossibly high. Dean hadn’t even thought you could get a thirty. As Kevin watched them, drawing out the tension, Dean started to fidget.

"After a few minutes of waiting quietly in the bushes, you see a small family of deer dart through your camp, fleeing the approaching swarm of orcs which comes to a slow stop as they take in your encampment. Several of them crouch down, inspecting your bedrolls and the fireplace. You can just about see their faces from the light of the full moon above. You estimate at least twenty-five of them both in the encampment and lurking around the edges.

"Son of a bitch, that's a lot of orcs."

"Anything in particular you guys want to do? They're searching the camp right now, and they look like they know you're not far off."

"Sam? Do you have any stronger spells?" Castiel asked. “I’ll cast another Spirit Guardians spell around us, it worked well enough against the demon. I doubt the orcs will be much of a challenge against it.

"Good idea Cas." Sam said, selecting a card and picking up some dice. "Fireball looks pretty good. I’ll throw that into the biggest group of orcs I can see. With a wild smile, Sam threw down a group of six-sided dice, totalling them up to thirty damage.

“The light from your spells illuminate the forest with blasts of bright light as flame and spiritual guardians tear into the orcs surrounding you, evaporating them. Your initial assault leaves seven of them dead. The rest of them mobilize for battle as they realize they are under attack. Roll initiative.”

Dean said a silent prayer of thanks when Kevin told him he was up first. Sam’s unlucky streak, though, continued and he was almost certainly dead last. Dean took a calming breath, taking in the scenario before them and picking up his miniature excitedly.

"OK, Cas, Crowley, we need to protect Sam at all costs, alright? That spell Cas has should keep us protected, it looks like the orcs will get vaporized if they even try to get in. All we need to do is make sure any that are strong enough to make it in stay dead.” Although Dean was technically giving orders to Crowley, he was speaking directly to Cas. Their gazes held for a moment. “That spell should last a while right?”

“Yes, Dean. As long as I don’t get hit.” That was ominous sounding. Dean chose to ignore it for the moment and worry about it later, assuming they made it out in one piece.

“Alright then. Kevin, I move here, attack this orc and then move here to cover Arthur the Astounding." He rolled the die, scoring a hit and dealing enough damage to drop the offending orc.

"Crowley? Your move. The orcs don't seem to have spotted you yet." Kevin said, a smile growing on his face.

"Wonderful, I stay put."

The table was silent as everyone turned to stare at him. Why were they surprised again?

"Really, man?" Dean said, disgusted.

"We're severely outnumbered. Even with your magic, this is looking bad. You can die out there, I'm staying put here."

"Well, OK then.” Kevin said,moving onto the orc's turn. “The orcs outside of your field of magic are afraid to step inside, prowling around. It doesn’t take them long though to notice that you are at the center of it. With a loud cry, they reach onto their backs and unsheathe their javelins, throwing a series of them at you. Cas, going to need you to make some Constitution checks as three hit for eight damage a piece.”

Dean held his breath as Cas rolled. One success, two successes. Shit.

“Sorry Cas, the spell falters as the third javelin catches Cassandra in her thigh. The remaining orcs will rush forward into combat.”

Dean could feel James and Cassandra’s pain as Kevin moved the orcs into position and tore into them. They managed to hold their own, cracking another four skulls, and giving Sam time to cast another spell. He summoned up thick strands of sticky webbing to envelop and ensnare their foes but it just wasn’t enough. There were still eighteen orcs prowling around them. Some of them were ensnared in the webbing but it was just a matter of time until they joined the free ones who were still engaged with Cas and Dean.

“This is bullshit!” He called as a solid critical hit brought James dangerously low. “C’mon man, don’t do this.”

"James,” Kevin said, voice unwavering. “The force of the orcs blow has driven you to your knees, your vision is blurry as you struggle to remain conscious."

"Can't Cas heal me or something?"

"On his turn, yes. You reach out vaguely for Cassandra beside you before the spear into your shoulder and darkness claims you. Cassandra, your turn, you are panting and tired, bone wearied from the combat. James has just fallen and you are all that is standing between Arthur and a host of orcs. What do you do?”

“I heal James, of course.” Cas didn’t even pause, just picked up his dice and rolled, restoring him to half health with one spell.

“Thanks Cas, y’know, if we weren’t so grossly outnumbered we might have been able to handle this.” Deans aid, glaring at Crowley.

The demon shrugged, unconcerned.

“OK, Cas, the last orc who hasn't acted yet this turn runs up to you wielding a greataxe and bringing it down on you." He rolled the die and winced. God damn it. "The axe strikes you but you only take seven damage."

Castiel looked down at his sheet, and then to the side catching Dean in the deep blue of his eyes. There was something, indescribable there and he let out a small, soft sigh of defeat. "I believe I am down then." Castiel said, reaching out and placing his miniature on the side.

Kevin gulped, the tension in the room ratcheting up another notch. The healer was down, which Dean knew was bad, and it was all up to Arthur the astounding and James Truearm since Crowley refused to lay a hand on a precious orc. The thrill of victory he’d been feeling as they slowly turned the tables of battle drained away.

Dean was staring at Cas’ miniature lying on it’s side, willing it to get up. It was stupid, but looking at her lying there brought back too many painful memories.

"Arthur, it's your turn. You've just watched as James and Cassandra took a beating to protect you. Cassandra has fallen but not before restoring vigor to James with her last ounce of strength.” Kevin took a deep breath and then smiled encouragingly. "What do you do?"

"The only thing I can do. I’m going to throw up a smokescreen with a fog cloud and hope that’ll buy us enough time to regroup.

“OK Sam, nice tactic, let’s see if it pays off. A thick and heavy fog billows out from your outstretched hands, engulfing the battlefield. You can barely see your hand in front of your face and you hear the orcs screaming in alarm.”

Dean had James leap to his feet on his turn and attempt to strike down a nearby orc but missed due to the fog.

"Damn it Sam!"

"Dean, we're still grossly outnumbered, it's our only shot."

“Sam, you can hear the orcs surrounding you, their dark forms crowding in around you in the fog. You manage to dodge several of their blows, but one of them connects with your head, rendering you unconscious.”

Sam groaned out in frustration, knocking his miniature to the side and throwing down his character sheet. Dean looked at the small battlefield, and the miniatures representing his family. What would he do if he saw Cas and Sammy lying broken and bleeding on the ground. It didn't take a huge leap to know the answer.

“Dean, you manage to survive another round as the orcs attack you, nimbly dodging out of the way. What are you going to do?”

“I let out an angry cry and throw myself at the nearest orc. If we’re going to die, we’re going down fighting.”

Dean managed to kill another two orcs, spilling their blood viciously on the ground before James was taken down. He was proud of himself and of James, but a heavy weight descended upon his shoulders as Kevin dealt the final blow.

"The orc strikes you in the back with his axe. The blade cutting through muscle and biting into bone. You fall unconscious, unable to bear the pain anymore."

* * *

Dean couldn't believe what just happened Kevin had done that. They had been so close. So damn close. They'd done so well against the overwhelming odds, but it just wasn't good enough. Sounded a bit familiar actually, although they usually manage to live through it and just suffer horribly instead.

"So what, that's it? We're dead, game over?" He picked up his dice and started rolling them in his fingers. Enjoying the rough crackling sound as he ground them together. He couldn't deny the strangely pleasing feeling of them rolling in his hands.

"Well, I didn't say that." Kevin said, somewhat distractedly as he read a note. Across the table, Crowley had an intense look on his face of concentration. That was his planning face, and Dean knew enough to fear it.

"You douchebag," Dean said, pointing an accusing finger. "If you hadn't ducked out of combat like that, we might have been able to pull it off. We were this close man, but no!" Dean slammed his hand on the table, the frustration flowing out of him. "You had to pull the whole evil demon king crap."

He stopped, taking the time to glower. Kevin finished scribbling something down on a paper and passed it over to Crowley who unfolded it. His eyes scanned the paper in a disinterested fashion before his lip curled into a pleased sneer. Sam was quiet, waiting patiently for whatever it was that the two of them were scheming together. Most likely the best way for Crowley to rob their dead bodies, Dean thought. Cas was watching Crowley silently with his 'I'm very disappointed in you.' face.

The douchebag picked up a die and rolled it, a self-satisfied look on his face as he jotted down the number, along with a quick note that he passed along to Kevin.

This silence was starting to get really annoying. He turned to Cas. "Think he's planning on stealing our gear?"

"It would hardly surprise me at this point, although I have hope."

"Hope?"

"That our adventure is not yet done. I don't believe Kevin would have led us this far astray without a purpose in mind."

Alright, so apparently Cas was treating Kevin as God in this world. Great, that's great. There once was a time when Cas had unquestioning faith in him, but Dean supposed that he'd thrown that away. Dean's eyes slid across the table to the wannabe-God. His eyes were locked on the paper, his cheeks were red with embarrassment. Holy shit, that wasn't intentional, that whole last combat going tits up was a screw up.

"I'm not so sure about that Cas, I think Kev just made a mistake and now he's worried that we're all gonna get up and go. Eh Sam?"

"Dean Shut up, let him think." Sam was watching Kevin like a hawk, waiting for him to move. That was a bit too intense of a look for Dean's comfort, you should only look at someone like that if you want to get laid. His eyes slid across to Cas, watching the way his hands were clenched tightly together, his knuckles white.

Finally, Kevin spoke up. "You awaken in a few hours, you are sore and wounded. A few smaller bones feel broken, and you are still bleeding from various cuts and scrapes, but you're alive. You've all been stripped of your armour and weapons, wearing only the clothes on your back. You're in a small cell, and there is little more than a sliver of light by which you can see the other members of your party. Each of you have your hands and legs bound with rough rope, and have been gagged to prevent any spellcasting."

"Kinky, Kevin." Dean winked. His enthusiasm starting to bubble to the surface again. They weren't out yet, but Kevin wouldn't be bothering with this just to torture them. He grinned at Sam and Cas, who seemed equally relieved.

"OK, so Kevin," Sam shifted forward, rocking the table slightly in his enthusiasm. "I can't cast spells because of my situation, right?"

"That's right, Sam"

"OK, are there any sharp objects in the cell?"

"Yeah," Dean chimed in."Anything we can use to cut the ropes?" He closed his eyes, bringing to mind the various times he'd been imprisoned in the past, mentally placing Sam and Cas there with him. Sam would be there, and Cas there, a little roughed up and tied. His blue eyes wide with hope and just a little bit of arousal as he watched Dean, knowing that he'd find a way to save them. Dean squashed the thought before it went any farther, saving it for later as he focused on the task at hand.

"Sorry guys, no. The cell is pretty filthy, but aside from an ageing skeleton in the corner, there's nothing in the room."

"That'll work." Dean smiled, pleased as he leaned back.

"What?" Kevin had clearly never been desperate to free himself from a tight situation. Lucky bastard.

"Yeah, we just need to break the bone, and the sharp edge will work to cut the ropes. No problem." 

Cas nodded, giving Dean an approving smile and he smiled back, glad for the approval.

"OK, I suppose you can work on that. Crowley, you can make those rolls now."

"Alright, what is he doing over there?" Dean craned his neck across the table, trying to see Crowley's dice, the notes they had been exchanging, or something. Hell, he'd be satisfied with learning Crowley's name after all this damn time. He just wanted the demon to slip up once.

"None of your business." Crowley moved his hands to block the dice from Dean's sight while Kevin took a look.

"Alright, looks good. So, the three of you begin struggling over to the corner. James, working together with Cassandra, you manage to shatter one of the femurs-" "Score" "-and begin to work the sharp, broken edge against the tough ropes binding your hands. As the rope comes free, however, you hear the sound of the lock turning in the door."

"We act casual and lay still." Sam says.

"I will feign being unconscious. These orcs do not seem very intelligent." Castiel added.

"I sit on the bone." Dean stopped talking as the words left his mouth, then shrugged. "Bring it Kevin."

"Alright, the door creaks slowly open, revealing a figure crouched against the wall, holding a small lamp in his hands."

"Hello, Darlings, glad to see you're all still alive. Shall we continue on with this little mission and get out of here?" Crowley said. It was the first time he'd spoken in character all game and Dean's jaw dropped.

"Wow, Crowley." Sam's smile flickered across his face. "I didn't think you'd be back."

"I had my suspicions," Castiel said, "but I didn't want to encourage you to betray us out of spite so I thought I should keep quiet."

"Oh no worries angel, unlike some of us at this table, I try to limit my betrayals to those who've earned them, your little moppet is safe." Castiel visibly flinched, head dropping, his eyes looking at the character sheet. Dean could feel the other man deflate beside him as he too flinched from the barb. He'd betrayed Cas all too recently, sending him out into the world to get ganked by that bitch.

"Says the demon."

"Now, now, Squirrel, lets not be speciesist." Crowley reprimanded him, "You should know that I always keep my bargains."

"No, Dean, he's right. I don't have the right to accuse Crowley of treachery after everything I've done." Dean tried to catch his eye, tried to reach out to find their connection, but Castiel was too focused on his sheet, determined to not look up and meet his eyes. Dean looked up at Kevin instead, waggling his eyebrows to try and get him to continue on with the game. Under the table, his hand reached out, hovering closely over Castiel's thigh indecisively, before he pulled it back self-consciously.

"OK, so let's get this show on the road right? You guys are so close." Kevin said, in a voice of fake cheer. Sam smiled, just as eager as Dean to bring this to a satisfying conclusion. Even Crowley, despite himself seemed somewhat interested. "The four of you make your way out of the cells and find your gear in a small chamber just outside of the prison block, you suit up and ready yourselves for combat once more."

"Before we go any further, I'd like to take this time to heal us all." Cas spoke up, voice quiet, subdued. "I'd rather those orcs didn't catch us unprepared." He picked up his dice and rolled them, rationing out the health as required, until everyone was healed back up as high as he could manage.

"OK, ready to go?"

Cas nodded, still not meeting Dean's eyes. Damn Crowley. Slowly, Dean reached under the table and let his hand rest lightly on Cas' thigh, giving it a little squeeze. He cursed himself when he let it rest there for a moment longer, enjoying the feel of Cas' legs before pulling it back. Immediately, Cas' head shot up in surprise, a soft smile blossoming on his face. Dean seriously considered putting his hand back.

"Alright. You begin your ascent through the fortress with Crowley leading the way. The fortress is dark, and you can just barely hear the sounds of activity echoing through the long corridors. From the few windows you pass, you can see that it is still night-time perhaps an hour before dawn. Judging by the architecture, you'd guess the building was once Dwarven. It's very unusual for orcs to build permanent structure like this, so it's likely that they attacked decades ago, routing the dwarves and taking over the fortress."

Occasionally, Kevin would stop, asking them to make stealth checks to avoid the patrols of orcs. With each one, Dean got more nervous waiting for one of them to fail and blow their whole operation but the dice had decided that they'd suffered enough.

"Finally, you reach the top of the fortress, and are standing outside the grand doors that could only belong to the warchief. You ready for this?"

"Let's do this. I kick down the door" Dean announced, shifting in his seat and readying the dice. "Ha! sixteen!" Dean had the die in motion before Kevin even opened his mouth.

"Alright, the door splinters under your weight as you bring it to bear, crashing inwards. You get the distinct impression that the door might not have even been locked." Kevin adding, accusingly.

"OK, so what's the room like Kevin?" Sam asked, flicking through his spell cards idly. Dean approved of this, if Sam prepared his moves ahead of time, they should be fine. He just hoped that Sam had saved one or two good ones for the fight.

"Yes, do go on."

"Inside is a massive chamber, perhaps one hundred feet across. The floors are covered in the pelts of various creatures, and assorted pieces of artwork. Statues, paintings and sculptures line the walls. These have obviously been pillaged from other raids. In the middle of the room is a massive bed, constructed of the bones of some large creature. A smaller door lies at the-"

"Wait, one hundred feet across? That's huge!" Dean interrupted.

"-the- what?"

"The room, Kevin, that's a pretty big space for a bedroom."

"My throne room isn't even fifty feet across Kev, it's ridiculous."

Out of the corner of his eye, Dean saw Cas struggle to maintain the serious look on his face before it collapsed. A big toothy smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes crinkled with laughter. "It does seem rather opulent, Kevin." He added.

"Fine, thirty feet. That better?"

"More believable certainly but-" Crowley began.

"Moving on!" Kevin cut him off. "A small door lies at the back of the chamber, elegant tapestries are hanging on the walls on either end. Off to one side of the room, a large orc is in front of a mirror, apparently practicing her swordplay and wow, she is the biggest orc you've ever seen. She is almost seven feet tall and rippling with muscle. You seem to have caught her off guard by breaking the door down but she rallies quickly."

Kevin pitched his voice low, "Intruders? I'll take care of you myself, you'll not have her!" Dean winced at the rasp against the poor kids vocals. "And roll initiative guys." Dean was the first to toss the die, watching it skitter across the surface with a grin and whooped as it came up on an eighteen.

"Beat that, Kevin!"

"Not bad, Dean." Kevin took stock of the others' initiatives before looking down at his own die. "You get to go first." His voice was calm, too calm. Leader or not, this was just an orc and they had killed over thirty by now. This wasn't going to be a problem.

"I charge up and attack her." Dean said, moving his figurine across the battle map towards the enemy and picking up his die, blowing on it for good measure before letting it fly. "How's a fifteen sound?"

"It sounds... unimpressive," Kevin's face screwed up into a mock pout as he shook his head.

The battle was fierce, Dean couldn't believe it as Kevin described the ferocity with which this single orc ducked and swerved around the party's blows while dishing out the damage. For some reason, she even got to move twice in one turn, which was bullshit. Even with Crowley there behind her, the orc seemed to have some special ability to just slide past their blows, taking only minimal damage from a hit that crippled everything else they'd fought that night. Sam hadn't even been much help either, reverting to small bursts of fire instead of breaking out one of the big guns.

"Sam just do it!" Dean yelled, after Kevin had described a particularly nasty blow against James, "Fireball her ass!"

"I can't, I'm out! This is all I've got! Do you think I'd be holding back now?" Sam replied, frustrated. "I'm basically out of spells." Sam sighed and rolled another few dice as he shot out another weak burst of magic. Judging by Kevin's descriptions, the orc was hurt, but she was still putting up a solid fight.

Now Kevin turned to Cas. Cas had spent all of his turns trying to heal the damage the party had been accruing, paying special attention to Dean. Dean's heart sank as Kevin rolled a die, and took in a deep breath as he looked down at the result. Dean craned his neck, managing to just see the number facing upwards. Shit. It was a twenty.

"OK, well... Castiel? The orcish leader, now covered in cuts and scrapes is going to turn to you, now weakened and exhausted from channelling all of your divine magic to keep James healthy against her onslaught. She's going to cry out 'No more healing!' and slam her axe down with a speed that catches you off-guard. The blade strikes you firmly in the chest for-Oh God, thirty damage."

"Well, that... is unfortunate." Cas reached out slowly and took his miniature before tilting it on its side again. His face was drawn with disappointment, and when he was done, he just clasped his hands in his lap, and stared at them, body closed off.

Dean saw the scene play out again, Cas' blood spilled as he fell to the ground and his armor broken and twisted around the orc's blade. He remembered how still Cas had been last week, his blood staining the chair. His heart seized with remembered agony, heedless of the fact that Cas was sitting right next to him. Blindly he reached out under the table, groping for the other man, digging his hands into the meat of Cas' thigh to reassure himself that he was still there, that Ezekiel had indeed brought him back.

"Dean? It's your turn" Kevin said, sounding nervous. Good. Last time, he was outmanned and outgunned. This time though, there's only one orc. She may be a tough bitch, but Dean swore that she was going down.

"That was a mistake, lady." Dean picked up his dice and rolled, scoring a critical hit of his own. "I bring my blade up, aiming for her neck." He described, intent on the kill. Despite himself, his heart was pounding, propelling adrenaline through his body. If he could bring the orc down here, they'd be able to save Cas and he wouldn't have failed again.

"She manages to jerk his head back just in time to avoid it being severed from her body, but your blade cuts a narrow gash across the orcs' beefy throat. She gasps and clutches at her throat to stop the bleeding and collapses to one knee, struggling feebly. Behind you, you hear the door I mentioned earlier slam open and a beautiful woman comes running into the room, a look of alarm and surprise on her face."

"Don't worry my lady, everything is fine. Let me just finish this. I cut her head off." Dean declared, speaking the sentence like an executioner.

"No!" Kevin cried out, catching Dean by surprise. He looked up in shock, exchanging a look with his Sam.

"No?" Sam asked in confusion, his brows wrinkling, as thrown off as Dean had been.

Across the table, Crowley was laughing. Ass.

"Would you care to explain what's so funny?" Cas asked, seemingly much calmer now that the battle was finished and he was no longer in danger of dying.

"You're dead again, Angel, no questions from you."

"I am not dead yet, Crowley." Cas glowered at the demon.

"Fine, what is it Crowley?"

"Oh no," Crowley waved his hands dismissively, a smile still lurking around the corners of his lips. "I think I'll let Kev here explain. Do go on."

Dean raised his eyebrows at Kevin, confusion and a prayer for an explanation warring across his features.

Kevin pitched his voice softer, doing a fairly bad impression of how a woman is supposed to sound.

"Please don't kill him! I don't care what my father has told you, he lied. I'm here of my own volition."

"What? OK, I- We'll deal with you in a minute." It didn't look like they were in any further danger at the moment. "Look, Kevin is there some way I can get Cas up?"

"Yeah, you should each have a healing potion on you, just give it to him."

"OK, I pour the potion down Cas' throat."

"Cas, you regain consciousness as the potion's energies surge through you, reinvigorating you." He paused, considering his words, before grinning and continuing "The first thing you are aware of aside form a dull ache in the back of your head is that you are lying in James' lap, looking up into his eyes."

Dean felt Cas pause. It was about that time that he realized he hadn't taken his hand off of the other man's thigh. He went to go pull it back, but then Cas' hand was there on top of it and he was smiling at him.

"Hello James." Dean flushed, warmth pooling in his belly and his heart thumping at the familiar words, spoken with so much meaning. There was something there, something warm in the other man's eyes that was calling to him.

"Looks like I got to heal you for once." Dean said, a smile on his face. His heart was still pumping, but not with bloodlust.

"OK, so Kevin. Can you explain what's going on here?" Sam asked, cutting through the warm fog around them.

Crowley started laughing fully now, and Kevin was smiling, far too proud as he explained. Apparently her and the orc leader had met years ago while hunting and felt an unspeakable attraction to each other. In Dean's opinion, unspeakable was the only word appropriate for whatever this was. They had continued to see each other occasionally until her father caught wind of their liaisons. That had been the catalyst for his crusade to drive the orc tribes far from the city. She had convinced her father to let her go to the nearby town of Etherby as part of a ruse, sending a messenger pigeon ahead of her to let the orc, Graga as it turned out, know where she would be in two days time.

"So you sold out your own people? Lord whats-his-name said the soldiers around the caravan were slaughtered."

"She blushes in shame and says 'I tried to get them to lay down their arms but they refused. When Graga approached the caravan under a white flag, they attacked. She and the orcs had no choice but to defend themselves.'"

Dean was dumbfounded. There were simply no other words to be found as he processed this information. This chick had fallen in love with an orc? A female orc at that? Dean had to admit that he'd hadn't seen this coming. Beside him, Cas shuffled a bit, settling down into his chair and watching him with interest. It was just weird though, right? Who could fall in love with an orc, that's gotta be a hell of a downgrade, right?

Shit. He could feel Cas' eyes boring into him, looking at him with those blue eyes that had once been able to see through time. He was the orc, wasn't he? Cas had left his friends and family behind, everything for him. This-this was getting too real.

Dean held up his hands, taking a deep breath.

"So wait, you leave your family and your city, and all your friends to live here? In this... this..." The words fell like ashes from his mouth. All the energy and thrill of the fight falling draining from his body.

"Swamp of Evil?" Sam suggested, his eyebrows still buried in his hairline.

"'Well, it's been a transition over the past few days but...' She looks up at you, Cassandra, pleading in her eyes. 'Please, can you heal her? She's badly hurt.'"

"Of course." Cas picked up his die and rolled it.

"'Thank you so much', she hugs the orc. 'This has all been a terrible misunderstanding, you must explain it to my father.'"

"Explain what, how his daughter just ran off with the baddest orc around? How did you even- You're not even the same species!" Dean shouted, his emotions starting to boil over. "Shouldn't you go back to the city and-and be with a human?"

Castiel flinched, looking away from Dean. He fixed his eyes on the opposite wall and settled himself in the chair slightly farther from Dean. Immediately, he regretted what he said, longing for Cas to be closer even just by those few inches.

"We live in a world of magic, with beings of all kinds. Love can... transcend the boundaries of species. Do you know nothing?" Kevin said, giving Dean a pointed look. There was a cold anger simmering there that Dean hadn't been expecting. All around him, he felt the room slowly growing colder, the mirth and levity at having survived draining away because of his idiotic words.

"This is true." Castiel spoke up, surprising everyone. "Love is capable of a great many things. I suggest we finish up here and return to the city to explain the situation to the mayor. If you'll excuse me, I think I need a drink of water." Castiel heaved himself up off the table and padded out of the room, shoulders slightly bowed. Dean knew better though, Cas might as well have been struck, he'd thrown off blows that had left less of an impact than that. He needed to explain himself.

Without his mind consciously giving him the order to, Dean found himself standing, banging his knees against the bottom of the table. He groaned in pain, collapsing forward onto his arms, and startling Kevin mid-monologue.

"Dean, you OK?" Sam looked at him, worried. He wasn't, not yet. There was a chance though, maybe just a chance that he would be if he could just get his head out of his ass for a minute.

"Yeah, Sammy, I'm fine. I just need a drink too OK? Gotta start... detoxing or whatever, I'll be right back." He turned his back on them and followed Cas, heading down to the kitchen. Dean was acutely aware of the sound of his own footsteps and the thrumming of his heartbeat. Was he really going to do this? Should he? No, he should head back. He's an orc, it never works out. He was just about to turn around when he peeked his head into the kitchen.

Cas was standing where he found standing by the sink, back turned, drinking a glass of water. The dim light from the hall cast his frame into shadow, the scant light playing off the long lines of his body as he stood there in darkness. Dean couldn't leave, he was transfixed, like he always was when Cas was around. He leaned against the door frame, willing his body to relax, commanding his heart to stop thumping it's erratic pattern in his chest. Just imagine you're James and he's the Lord Cas, he thought to himself. It was an idiotic thought but, oddly enough, that seemed to help. After all, this dance they'd been doing for so long was almost a game.

"So..." He began, drawing out the vowel uncertainly. Cas started and turned, looking at him, shoulders squaring and raising his head to look up at him in the eyes. All trace of whatever Cas had been feeling was packed away, hidden behind those dark eyes. "I'm the orc, you know that, right?" 

Cas' brow wrinkled in confusion. "You're... what?"

"That, back there." He paused, "Interspecies..." He stopped, unsure how to carry on the sentence, unsure where he was trying to go. "I just, you're... you and I'm just some human."

"Dean. No." Cas approached him, closing the distance between the two of them, reaching out and placing one hand on his shoulder. Dean leaned into the touch. "I am the... orc here. You are good, and pure. My hands... have wrought destruction that you could barely imagine." Cas' eyes caught his own for a moment, and there was need there, a longing that Dean felt twinned within his own body. Cas turned away, letting his hand drop. "But... sometimes a monster can find something worth taking comfort in, even though they don't deserve it. I was selfish. I shouldn't have come back."

Dean closed the gap between them now, placing his hands firmly on Cas' shoulders, feeling the hard muscle hidden beneath the unkempt clothes. 

"Don't you say that. Cas, man, you're family. I know you screwed up, we all have, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve anything, that you don't deserve a... prince at the end of all of this." Dean's heart pounded in his chest, his blood raced as he willed his thumbs into motion, brushing small circles against the soft skin of Cas' neck. There, he'd said the words.

"What?" Cas turned to him then, eyes wide in surprise.

"Cas, you know me. I don't do the whole emotion thing but-Look, we're almost done in there. Let's go back, make Kevin happy and then, I don't know, maybe we could go out and... grab a beer? Together?" He let the question dangle, feeling self-conscious and exposed.

Cas smiled, and it was like the dawn breaking after a stormy night. Next thing Dean knew, Cas was leaning into him, pressing their lips together. The kiss was soft but firm, and filld with promise. It was the culmination of years of want and need and longing, and everything he had wanted. His heart stuttered and he let out a sigh as Cas pulled away.

"I'd like that Dean."

The peace was broken by Sam shouting down the corridor.

"If you're done making out yet, get back here! We're almost done!"

They chuckled, pressing their foreheads against each other. The stood there a moment, enjoying the shared space, and the feel of the other person, the other human beside them before turning and heading back to the game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that's it! I hope you all liked it. This idea has been in my head for a while and I'm so excited to finally finish it.

**Author's Note:**

> First fanfic I've written in a while, hope it's enjoyable.
> 
> There are five chapters and they've all been written but are still being edited. Plan to release one every week on Saturday.
> 
> I have no beta, but am looking for one. Please leave me a message or comment if you'd like to volunteer 
> 
> Finally, thanks for reading :D


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